Sarah Eckhardt

Sarah Eckhardt is an American attorney and politician from the state of Texas. She is a member of the Texas Senate and a former county judge for Travis County, Texas.

Sarah Eckhardt
Member of the Texas Senate
from the 14th district
Assumed office
July 31, 2020
Preceded byKirk Watson
County Judge of Travis County, Texas
In office
January 2015 – May 13, 2020
Preceded bySam Biscoe
Succeeded bySam Biscoe
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Kurt Sauer
​
(
m. 1998; div. 2016)
Children2
ParentsBob Eckhardt
Education

Early life

Eckhardt is the daughter of Bob Eckhardt.[1] Eckhardt attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. She appeared in the 1981 film Student Bodies. Eckhardt earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from New York University in 1986, and joined the Atlantic Theater Company.[2]

Government and political career

Returning to Texas, Eckhardt worked with Ann Richards' 1990 gubernatorial campaign. She was a delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention. She became a paralegal in 1993, and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin in 1994, earning a Master of Public Affairs and Juris Doctor. Eckhardt served as an assistant district attorney for Travis County from 1998 to 2005, and was elected to the Travis County Commission from Precinct 2 in the 2006 elections. She was reelected in 2010. In 2014, she was elected county judge for Travis County.[2]

When Kirk Watson announced he would resign from the Texas Senate, Eckhardt announced that she would run in the special election to succeed him, and resigned as county judge in accordance with the Texas Constitution.[3][4] She received 49.7% of the vote, shy of the 50% required to avoid a runoff. Eddie Rodriguez, who finished in second with 34% of the vote, decided to forego the runoff, making Eckhardt the winner.[5]

Personal life

Eckhardt married attorney Kurt Sauer in 1998. They have two children, and divorced in 2016.[2]

References
  1. Smith, Amy (October 4, 2013). "Eckhardt Father and Daughter Day at Scholz: A centennial celebration provides platform to stump for county judge - News". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  2. Oudenaren, Daniel Van (July 7, 2020). "Background Investigation: Sarah Eckhardt". The Austin Bulldog.
  3. Pollock, Cassandra (March 10, 2020). "Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt resigns to run for Texas Senate". The Texas Tribune.
  4. Heather Osbourne. "Eckhardt makes resignation official; interim Travis County judge sworn in - News - Austin American-Statesman - Austin, TX". Statesman.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  5. Pollock, Cassandra (July 27, 2020). "Sarah Eckhardt wins special election for Texas Senate seat after Rep. Eddie Rodriguez forgoes a runoff". The Texas Tribune.
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