Sarah Eckhardt announced today that she is resigning as Travis County Judge to run in the special election for District 14 State Senator.
Eckhardt broke the news during a regular meeting of the Travis County
Commissioners Court.
Her remarks from the dais included the following.
“Over the years we have built strong bi-partisan relationships on this dais, in the
surrounding counties, and across the state. Serving the County has been a joy. Serving
in the State Senate will be a misery at first. But service builds relationships,
relationships build common purpose, and common purpose builds progress,” she said.
“It would be easier to stay put. But our progress at the local level can’t continue and
may even be reversed if we don’t address the darkness at the state level. I am grateful to
my colleagues and to all of the Central Texas residents who will help me get there. “
From The Texas Tribune March 10 about 4:30 p.m.
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt resigned from her position Tuesday ahead of a run for the open seat in the Democrat-leaning Texas Senate District 14. Eckhardt was elected Travis County’s first female county judge in 2015.
“I’m leaving the warmth and friendship of public service at the county to seek public service at the state as your next state senator,” Eckhardt said during a tearful speech at the end of a commissioners court meeting. “I’m running to succeed Senator [Kirk] Watson. I can’t fill his shoes, but I am running to succeed him.”
Eckhardt is the second candidate to enter the race to replace retiring state Sen. Kirk Watson, an Austin Democrat, who will resign from office at the end of April to become the first dean of the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs. Over the weekend, longtime state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, became the first candidate to formally launch a bid for the Senate seat, which covers Bastrop County and parts of Travis County.
The special election for the seat has not yet been called by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Eckhardt, who was elected Travis County’s first female county judge in 2015, was required under the Texas Constitution to resign from that office before running for the Legislature. Eckhardt and Rodriguez, who has served in the House since 2003, could soon be joined in the race by Austin City Council member Greg Casar, who recently filed a campaign treasurer report for the Senate seat.
Others are also eyeing a run. Another elected official, Pflugerville City Council Member Rudy Metayer, is mulling a bid, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Two Austin-area attorneys, Jose “Chito” Vela and Adam Loewy, have also said they are also seriously considering a run.
After Eckhardt’s announcement Tuesday, her campaign emailed supporters billing the candidate as “an effective progressive who has the courage to fight for what’s right.” Rodriguez, meanwhile, said at a campaign kickoff event that he is running for the Senate “because I want to make Texas a more progressive place for everyone” — and cast his work and relationships at the Capitol as crucial experience that will set him apart from the rest of the field.