Sarah Eckhardt

Eckhardt earned a B.F.A. from New York University, going on to receive her J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. She was admitted to the bar in 1998.[1]

In 2006, Eckhardt was elected county commissioner of Travis County (Precinct 2). She held that seat until the spring of 2014, when she began her campaign for county judge.[2] Eckhardt served as the Travis County Commissioners court judge from 2014 to 2020. She resigned from the court on May 12, 2020, in order to run in the special election for Texas State Senate District 14.[3] Prior to her election, Eckhardt served for eight years as a prosecutor with the Travis County District Attorney's Office.[4]

Comptroller of Public Accounts

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a third-term Democratic state senator, lifelong Texan, and mom of two that believes government should be effective, efficient, fair, and minimally intrusive. I got my start in local government as an assistant county attorney, before being elected a county commissioner, and then the first woman to serve as Travis County Judge. Leading 4,000 employees across dozens of departments, I delivered balanced budgets year over year while lowering property taxes three times. In the Texas Senate, I have delivered legislation to give more Texans a fair shot at success, including the Academic Fresh Start Act and tuition exemptions for paramedics. My priorities for the office of the Comptroller are to focus on affordability, transparency, and trust. Texas is a rich state but prosperity is not evenly distributed. As keeper of the books, the Comptroller should honestly report whether, how and which Texans are benefitting from state investments. And the Comptroller can influence better investment, creating a prosperity we all experience and contribute to building on.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Our state’s chief financial officer should be a watchdog for your money, not a lapdog for rich and powerful special interests.In the wealthiest country on the planet, and the second wealthiest state in that country, there is no reason we shouldn't be able to meet and exceed the needs of every Texan who wants a home, healthcare, and good public schools.I’m running as a Democrat to break one-party rule that stands up a pay-to-play system for special interests while leaving everyday Texans behind.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As Comptroller, I will be a watchdog ensuring our wealth serves our needs, not special interests. Texas has massive water infrastructure needs, with a $154B gap. We must use the $28B Rainy Day Fund to bridge this divide. Broadband is an economic necessity. While the state received $3.3B in federal funds, the administration has stalled; I will end these delays. By prioritizing infrastructure over "sweetheart deals," we ensure every Texan has clean water and high-speed internet. It is time to put people over politics. I am passionate about government that is efficient, effective, and fair. Texans want leaders who take care of basics; the party in control for a generation has failed to address these challenges.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Texas AFL-CIO, Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus, Lloyd Doggett, Greg Casar, Gene Wu, Roland Gutierrez, Garry Mauro, Kirk Watson, Gary Bledsoe

U.S. House

Sarah Eckhardt did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Sarah Eckhardt did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Senator Eckhardt has deep roots in Central Texas and deep commitment to improving opportunity for all

Texans. After receiving an LBJ School Master of Public Affairs and law degree from the University of

Texas at Austin in 1998, Eckhardt worked for eight years as an Assistant Travis County Attorney. From

2006-2013 she served as Travis County Commissioner representing 300,000 people. From 2015-2020

she served as the Travis County Judge presiding over the Commissioners Court and representing 1.3

million people.

Senator Eckhardt believes that elective office is a temporary trust bestowed by the people who elect

her. She values policy above politics. And she believes that government exists to assure that opportunity

is within reach of every Texan. Government should be effective, efficient, fair and minimally intrusive.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

JUSTICE - Eckhardt believes in holding people accountable when they pose a threat to society and returning them to productive civic belonging as soon as the threat has been vanquished. But across the nation and especially in Texas incarceration of people for substance use disorder and other mental health infirmities has skyrocketed. Texas incarcerates more than 800 per 10,000 people, a rate well above the national average. Black brown and poor people are disproportionately jailed. And, conditions inside Texas jails and conditions imposed on people after release are stifling. Eckhardt advocates for safe and effective mental health treatment, including substance use disorder treatment, outside of the criminal justice context. rHEALTH - Eckhardt believes that every Texan should have access to physical and mental healthcare, including reproductive healthcare. But Texas has the lowest insurance rate in the country. Physicians are barred from providing abortions. Even finding a physician is difficult when nearly 15% of Texas counties do not have a single physician. The State ensures that every county has a jail, but nearly ¼ of Texas counties have no hospital. Eckhardt advocates for an expansion of Medicaid to insure 1M more Texans and help rural hospitals stay open to serve them, restoration of safe and legal reproductive healthcare, and deeper state investment in public health and emergency mental health care.CLIMATE - Eckhardt believes that climate change requires rapid innovations in energy, water and infrastructure that markets cannot or will not produce without government involvement. Texas is the largest producer of energy, including renewable energy, but also the largest consumer of energy. Texas is becoming more arid as its thirsty population grows. And Texas infrastructure is battered year round by increasingly extreme drought, flood, wildfires and hurricanes. Eckhardt advocates for increases in renewable energy generation, decreases in per capita energy and water consumption, identification and conservation of our finite water sources and hardening of public infrastructure to shelter us from increasingly frequent extremes.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Eckhardt's public service experience includes emergency response, health care, workforce and economic

development, criminal justice, water policy, and budget and finance. Some of her previous accomplishments

include curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in Central Texas through early and decisive region-wide

orders, preserving more than 30,000 acres of green space, building a multi-county collaboration for the

preservation of groundwater, maintaining a vibrant construction economy while raising safety standards

for workers, establishing a Travis County Public Defender's Office, and instituting jail and arrest diversion

programs that support justice and public safety.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Martin Luther King's collected works

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Smart, honest, places policy above politics and people above power

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Health, Education, Natural Resources, Public Infrastructure, Public Safety and Justice and how we are going to pay for all that

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

There must be a productive tension between the Executive and the the Legislature. The Executive must be allowed to act decisively for the benefit of the state but must do so within the parameters set by the Legislature in advance of necessary executive action.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

To bring education, health, and justice back to every Texan and protect our land and livelihoods from climate change, we must disengage from the Culture War and reengage with collaboration and compromise at the local, state and federal level.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

The benefits of a unicameral legislature are simplicity and speed - more bills will certainly pass faster. But, more is not necessarily better. The bicameral legislature has a finer sieve, sifting out the hastier legislation in favor of the thoroughly deliberated legislation.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course! There is no democracy without relationship.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

An independent redistricting commission

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

I am particularly fond of my appointments to Local Government and to Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Both committees provide me an opportunity to build bridges between state and local levels of government, to address water issues and issues of property taxation.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Yes.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

If my talents match the moment, I would consider it.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Yes

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The legislature should establish the parameters for the use of emergency powers by the executive and hold the executive accountable should s/he exceed those parameters without good cause.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes

Sarah Eckhardt did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.