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Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot, a Democrat whose public clashes with Gov. Martin O'Malley fueled rumors that he would mount a primary challenge for the governorship, has filed to run for re-election as state tax collector.

The Takoma Park resident, whose path to a second term was made easier when term-limited Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. (D) announced in July that he would not run against Franchot, currently faces no opposition.

Franchot, whose vocal stances on slot machine gambling, questionable land deals and the state budget, have put him at odds with O'Malley and other leading Democrats, announced his filing for re-election by recording a YouTube video message to supporters.

Franchot's office has previously used the online video service to promote tax compliance and filing taxes on time.

In the video, recorded Friday outside the Louis L. Goldstein Treasury Building in Annapolis, Franchot expressed his enjoyment for the job and said he has been an independent fiscal watchdog who has been tough on tax cheats.

"When I ran, I promised I'd take this agency to the next level," he said. "I think I've done that by rewarding taxpayers and businesses that do the right thing by paying their taxes on time, by leaving you alone and by focusing on those small number of Marylanders who cheat on their taxes, aggressively enforcing the state tax laws."

The comptroller, who also is in charge of regulating the alcohol, tobacco and motor fuel industries, is already aggressively raising money, despite facing no competition. As of Monday afternoon, his campaign was almost halfway to their goal of collecting $15,000 in contributions by the end of the month.

Franchot plans to host a reception at a minor-league baseball game Thursday in Waldorf.

"We may not have an official challenger, but this is the beginning of the re-election season, and it's important for the comptroller to begin his re-election bid on the fundraising front," said Franchot's campaign manager Tim Daly.

Next month, Franchot is hosting community barbecues in Gaithersburg and Cockeysville.

As one of three members of the Board of Public Works — O'Malley and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D) are the others — Franchot said in the video announcement that he has voiced objections when proposed state contracts are not in taxpayers' best interests, sometimes pitting him against O'Malley.

"I think in these hard economic times, that kind of leadership is called for," he said.

Most notably, the two men deviated on the governor's slots plan, with O'Malley saying it was a needed revenue generator and Franchot arguing that it would lead to societal ills, such as addiction, crime and corruption. Voters approved the slots referendum by a wide margin last year.

The animosity has receded of late, and Franchot was included on a list of elected officials who have submitted early endorsements for O'Malley's re-election campaign.

Franchot, 61, served 20 years in the House of Delegates before mounting what many thought was a quixotic challenge for comptroller against incumbent William Donald Schaefer (D) in 2006.

But a series of missteps by Schaefer, the former governor and Baltimore mayor, and the entry of a third candidate, then-Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens, enabled Franchot to narrowly win the Democratic primary. He went on to easily defeat Republican Anne McCarthy in the general election.