April 10th, 2019 by WCBC Radio

The highest vote-getter ever for a state office, Comptroller Peter Franchot may be the most popular and successful Democrat in Maryland politics. But after repeatedly bashing fellow top Democrats for years with criticism they view as bombastic and unfair, he is a man with increasingly few allies in Annapolis. On the opening day of this year’s legislative session in January, Senate President Mike Miller mocked Franchot from the dais, implying he is a closeted Republican. Recently, when Franchot tried to introduce what he considers an important bill, he said legislative leaders in the 188-member General Assembly refused to file it for him. And the most damaging blow was passing legislation that strips Franchot of one of the functions he’s most proud of — his authority over a team of officers who enforce state regulations on alcohol and tobacco sales.  Despite what appears to be growing dissention and a widening rift with his fellow Democrats- Franchot tells WCBC News that he has no intentions switching political affiliations- he simply has to continue to point out what he calls a pattern of misconduct by state leaders..