After graduating from law school, Franchot worked as legislative counsel for the
Union of Concerned Scientists. He then served as staff director for then-Congressman
Ed Markey from 1980 to 1986. In 1988, while serving his first term in the House of Delegates, Franchot ran for Maryland's 8th congressional district against Republican incumbent
Connie Morella. Morella defeated Franchot, 63% to 37%, in the general election. He considered a run for
governor to challenge Ehrlich, but ultimately ran for
Comptroller of Maryland. Franchot defeated the Republican nominee, Anne McCarthy, in the general election on November 7, 2006.
Tenure Franchot took office on January 22, 2007, and was re-elected in
2010,
2014, and
2018. As comptroller, Franchot supported adding toll lanes on the beltway and I-270, requiring schools to open after Labor Day, and reducing restrictions on craft beer sales in Maryland. In an interview with
WYPR in July 2018, Franchot announced he would not endorse his party's nominee for governor,
Ben Jealous, and would instead remain neutral in the gubernatorial contest. "I think I'm probably going to remain neutral in that race—simply because it's important for me to get along with whoever is elected," Franchot said. This is despite previous pledges made ahead of the primary to support the party's nominee in the gubernatorial election.
Board of Public Works (left) and Governor
Larry Hogan (center), 2022 Franchot, along with the
governor and the
state treasurer, compose the
Board of Public Works — a constitutionally appointed body that oversees many aspects of the state's finances. During his tenure on the Board, Franchot worked to advance initiatives that reformed the state's procurement process and practices, including the reduction of single-bid contracts and increased participation among minority and women-owned enterprises.
Air-conditioning in Baltimore-area schools Franchot used his seat on the Board of Public Works and his high-profile political position to publicly pressure officials in Baltimore City and Baltimore County to immediately install
air conditioning units in aging school facilities that lack HVAC systems. He frequently sparred with school system leaders and elected officials from Baltimore County, a jurisdiction that in 2011 had 65 school buildings without air-conditioning. His public spats with County Executive
Kevin Kamenetz, a fellow Democrat, over this issue have alienated Franchot from members of his own party. In January 2016, the Board of Public Works approved the use of state funding for portable air conditioners in Baltimore-area schools and lifted a ban on using state funding to purchase window air-conditioning units for public school classrooms. During the meeting, Franchot faced criticism for comparing the lack of air conditioning in schools to the
Flint water crisis, saying "We were all dismissed as a bunch of malcontents. This is our
Flint". Towards the end of the 2016 legislative session, top legislative leaders, who objected to Franchot's frequent criticism, inserted language in budget bills to prevent the use of state funds for portable air-conditioning units in schools, which aligned with Kamenetz's views. In the same legislative session, lawmakers sought to end a practice — known as "beg-a-thon" — where school system leaders appear before the Board of Public Works to request additional school construction funding. Later that year in May, the Board of Public Works voted 2–1 to withhold state funding for school construction in Baltimore and Baltimore County unless local officials installed air conditioning in all classrooms by the start of the next school year. In response, Kamenetz released a plan that accelerated the county's installation timeline by one year. In January 2017, the Board of Public Works voted to restore funding to the jurisdictions. In September 2016, Franchot and the president of the Maryland State
NAACP chapter, Gerald Stansbury, wrote a letter to the
U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the lack of air-conditioning in public schools in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. They wrote that the sweltering conditions in these schools, predominantly in financially depressed communities, amounted to a "blatant neglect of students' civil rights". During the 2017 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly adopted a budget that removed Governor Hogan from the process of approving the state's school construction plans and allocated $5 million in funding for air-conditioning projects in city schools. During the 2018 legislative session, top Democratic leaders voted to strip the Board of Public Works of its oversight and management of the state's public school construction program. Despite a veto from Hogan, the legislature overrode the governor along party lines. Delegate
Maggie McIntosh, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee and floor leader for the legislation, directly cited Franchot's outspokenness about the air-conditioning issue as a reason contributing to this decision. The legislation established a task force whose membership is appointed by the governor and the legislative presiding officers to oversee and disburse taxpayer dollars for school construction investments.
Opposition to slots and expanded gambling in Maryland Franchot campaigned against bringing slot machine gambling to Maryland. As a member of the House of Delegates, he led a successful coalition of lawmakers to oppose the Constitutional amendment to legalize slots. In 2008, Franchot, along with hundreds of others, launched Marylanders United to Stop Slots to encourage a 'no' vote on the referendum. Franchot argued that the high social costs of increased crime, broken families and bankruptcies would outweigh any revenue gains. Franchot's opposition to the slots referendum put him at odds with fellow members of his own party, including Governor Martin O'Malley and Senate President
Thomas V. Mike Miller, both of whom were prominent proponents of the slots referendum. The 2008 slots referendum passed by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent. In June 2012, Franchot criticized the General Assembly for holding a special session for a proposal for a new casino at
National Harbor, which would be the sixth casino in Prince George's County. In a letter to members of the legislature, he encouraged lawmakers to disclose "all contributions from national gambling interests" and warned against approving the casino, saying it would "cannibalize" the venues and "jeopardize the viability of state's casino program". In an interview with the
Washington Examiner on gambling expansion in Maryland, Franchot expressed heavy skepticism about the promise of casino revenue being used for educational purposes. "Any education funding that goes into the Education Trust Fund is subject to being raided by the legislature," Franchot said. "That is what's happened historically; that inevitably is what will happen again." He opposed a referendum to legalize
table games at the state's casinos. The 2012 referendum passed by a narrow margin, 52 percent to 48 percent. Franchot opposed a 2020 referendum to legalize
sports betting in Maryland. The 2020 referendum passed by a wide margin, 67 percent to 33 percent.
Craft beer regulation Franchot opposed a bill that was unanimously passed by the General Assembly during the 2017 legislative session, which imposed restrictions on the sale and distribution of craft beer products in the state. In response, Franchot formed a "Reform on Tap" task force to study Maryland's beer laws and propose reforms on what he considered "antiquated, dysfunctional, anti-small business, and anti-consumer". In November 2017, he proposed a legislative package to reform the state's regulations on craft brewers through deregulation. The bill would have removed regulations on take-home and taproom sales and limits on beer production, and would have removed a "buy-back" provision that prevented breweries from buying their products from wholesalers to increase the limits on what they're allowed to sell. In response to Franchot, Delegates
Ben Kramer and
Warren Miller introduced legislation forming a task force to study which agency is best suited to regulate the alcohol industry in Maryland. After a hearing in the House Economic Matters Committee that lasted several hours and featured dozens of brewers, elected officials, and other stakeholders who testified to support Franchot's bill, the committee voted 17–4 to reject the comptroller's legislation. During the 2019 legislative session, Kramer introduced legislation to strip the comptroller's office of its ability to regulate the alcohol, tobacco, and motor fuels industries, instead moving these responsibilities to a governor-appointed commission. The bill passed and was vetoed by Governor Hogan, but the General Assembly voted to override the veto.
Interstate 270 and Capital Beltway expansion On May 8, 2019, the
Prince George's County Council voted unanimously for a proposal requiring Governor Larry Hogan to undertake further environmental reviews before proceeding with his plan to expand Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway. On June 5, the State Board of Public Works voted to approve the proposal. Franchot and Hogan voted in favor of the proposal, while
Nancy Kopp opposed it. In August 2021, the Maryland Board of Public Works voted to accept a contract that would allow an international consortium to begin design work on the plan to add privately financed toll lanes to portions of the Beltway and I-270, with Franchot and Hogan voting to approve the plans and Kopp voting against it. A second contract, which set up a one-dollar-a-year lease arrangement over 60 years between the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Maryland Transportation Authority, was also agreed upon. On November 19, 2021, the Maryland Transportation Authority Board voted unanimously to approve toll rates on Interstate 270, with prices depending on whether drivers use EZ-Pass or video tolling, the driver's vehicle and amount of passengers, and if drivers commute during hours where traffic is especially acute.
2022 Maryland gubernatorial campaign , 2022 On January 22, 2020, Franchot announced his candidacy for
governor of Maryland in the
2022 election, which would be vacated by Larry Hogan (R), who is term-limited, in 2022. His running mate was Monique Anderson-Walker, a member of the
Prince George's County council. During the primaries, he was noted for his absence at many of the candidate forums held around the state. Franchot received endorsements from over 100 current and former officeholders, including former
representative Wayne Gilchrist and former
lieutenant governor Melvin Steinberg. On July 1, 2022, Franchot's campaign announced its workers unionized with
Campaign Workers Guild. On July 19, 2022, Franchot lost the primary, placing third behind
Tom Perez and
Wes Moore. This was Franchot's first campaign loss since his run for Congress in 1988. He conceded on July 22, 2022, and endorsed Democratic nominee Wes Moore. == Personal life ==