Peter Franchot

Peter Van Rensselaer Franchot (born November 25, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 33rd comptroller of Maryland from 2007 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Franchot served for 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

Franchot was elected comptroller in 2006, defeating incumbent William Donald Schaefer in the Democratic primary, and was subsequently re-elected three times. During his tenure, Franchot supported efforts to expand Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway, deregulate the state's craft beer economy, and pressure Baltimore County officials to replace aging air conditioning equipment in public schools. He opposed initiatives to legalize and later expand gambling in Maryland. After Republican Larry Hogan defeated Democrat Anthony Brown in the 2014 Maryland gubernatorial election, Franchot pledged a bipartisan alliance with Hogan, with whom he worked to support various causes on the Maryland Board of Public Works.

Franchot unsuccessfully ran for governor of Maryland in 2022, placing third in the Democratic primary behind Tom Perez and Wes Moore.