A candidate for Comptroller of Maryland, Franchot defeated incumbent William Donald Schaefer and fellow challenger Janet S. Owens in a close Democratic primary election[REF] on September 12, 2006.
In 2011 Franchot protested the decision by Bowie State University to purchase 32 Steinway pianos at a total cost of $552,000, calling the decision "out of touch" with the state of the economy at the time [REF].