On the Republican side, Anne McCarthy, the former dean of the University of Baltimore business school, won a crowded primary and faced off against Franchot.

In 2006, William Donald Schaefer, running for a third term as Maryland State Comptroller, faced his first legitimate opponents in decades, putting his political career in peril.

I think [immigrants to the United States] should adjust to us," at a meeting of the Maryland Board of Public Works, prompted by an experience he recently had at a McDonald's restaurant.

"[3] As the campaign progressed, Schaefer ended up in hot water yet again for remarks made about his other opponent in the Democratic primary, Janet Owens.

Schaefer remarked to a columnist for The Washington Post that Owens wore "long dresses, looks like Mother Hubbard--it's sort of like she was a man."