Thanks to Maryland Matters for this juicy tidbit:
. . .more than two months before the primary, Franchot was asked by a Maryland Matters reporter if he planned to support his party’s gubernatorial nominee.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m a Democrat.”
That was then.
Franchot told WYPR-FM earlier this month that he has decided to stay neutral in the gubernatorial race.
“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 told the station.
While he didn’t mention Democratic nominee Benjamin T. Jealous by name, Franchot explained his stance by saying that Maryland voters “don’t want higher taxes, they don’t want higher fees, they don’t want pie-in-the-sky programs that sound great” but are too expensive.
In a recent interview with Maryland Matters, Franchot dsicussed [sic] his about-face in more detail.
“What changed is: A) I realized what a good relationship I had with Hogan, B) that the Board of Public Works is a very small body, [just] me, the treasurer and the governor. And C) that it was important for me, to be a good Comptroller, to be on good terms with either Jealous or Hogan.”
To think that Franchot was originally elected to the Maryland General Assembly from District 20 (Silver Spring and Takoma Park), the state’s most progressive jurisdiction! But that was before Jamie Raskin woke the district up in 2006. Since then, Franchot has been running to the right as fast as his patrician legs can carry him. It’s a shame he wasn’t primaried this year. All good Democrats should make a pledge not to let that happen in 2022: Franchot should move to a red state if he wants to be in elective office.
©2018 Keith Berner
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