Down but not out: Franchot urges patience as votes counted in Democratic primary

BOWIE, Md. -- Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot did not concede the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday night despite being significantly behind in votes.

He told WJZ he is counting on mail-in ballots and estimates there are several hundred thousand of them. They cannot be counted until Thursday. 

"Elect someone like myself who actually is going to create a competent state government and doesn't have this kind of train wreck of an inability to count the ballots in a prompt, accurate way," he said.

Franchot also addressed supporters and told them to be patient. "To our opposition, make sure you don't celebrate too early," he said.

Franchot, considered a front-runner in the race, is well known to Maryland voters.

He beat former Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor William Donald Schaefer for the comptroller position in 2006 after serving 20 years in the General Assembly.

Franchot ran as a moderate.

"Sometimes people in the parties get so narrow in their thinking and adversarial in their approach that most of the people in the middle are left out," Franchot told WJZ during a campaign stop in Howard County Tuesday afternoon.

He said he has no regrets about making economic issues the centerpiece of his campaign. 

"Maryland's getting hammered by inflation. People are literally trying to decide whether to buy a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk for their children," Franchot said.