Comptroller Peter Franchot, believed to be casting an eye on the governor's race in 2014, has scheduled two high-ticket fundraisers in early January during the countdown to the legislative session that begins Jan. 11.
Franchot, a Democrat, plans an event Jan. 4 at the home of Chuck and Beverly Ferrar in Edgewater, with tickets running from $250 to $2,000. He plans another for the eve of the session in Washington, hosted by Gerald Cassidy, Franchot's old boss from his days with the Cassidy & Associates lobbying firm in Washington. For that event, tickets run from $250 to the Maryland maximum of $4,000 to a single candidate during a four-year cycle.
Franchot has recently staked out a position on the right flank of the Democratic field with criticisms of Gov. Martin O'Malley's fiscal policies.