Playing it close to the vest
Friday, August 1st, 2008Maybe he really likes Comptroller Peter Franchot and Sen. Jim Brochin. Maybe he doesn’t.
Gov. Martin O’Malley isn’t saying and sure isn’t copping to encouraging others to run against his fellow Democrats in the 2010 primary.
“The election is light years away, and I really don’t spend a whole lot of time musing about what will happen two years from now,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley took questions on both Franchot and Brochin during a meeting with Patuxent Publishing Co.’s Baltimore County editors Wednesday afternoon. And in answering the questions, he never mentioned either Franchot or Brochin by name.
It’s long been rumored that County Executive Jim Smith has been raising money like they were going to suddenly stop printing it with an eye toward running for state office.
It’s no secret that O’Malley and Franchot don’t exactly see eye to eye, and some other Dems say the governor would favor Smith. Earlier this year, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who also is not on Franchot’s Christmas card list, told me he was introducing Smith around at a Prince George’s County fundraiser as the “next comptroller.”
“I’ve enjoyed working with County Executive Jim Smith,” O’Malley said, calling him “one of the most capable public servants.”
“I’m sure he’ll have lots of options,” O’Malley concluded.
As for Brochin, word is that some don’t believe the two-term senator is a reliable vote for the governor. Enter the rumor that Martin Knott, a Towson resident and president of Knott Mechanical, is being encouraged to challenge Brochin in the Democratic primary two years from now.
So, is O’Malley pushing Knott to run against Brochin?
“He’s his own man,” O’Malley said. “He’s a good person and helps us on workforce issues. No one controls anyone.”
So, is Knott Senate material? The question drew some snickers from O’Malley’s staff.
“He’s certainly knowledgeable on public policy issues and is personable and a person who is well liked,” O’Malley said.