Adelaide C. Eckardt Explained

Adelaide C. Eckardt
State Senate:Maryland
District:37th
Term Start:January 14, 2015
Term End:January 11, 2023
Predecessor:Richard F. Colburn
Successor:Johnny Mautz
State Delegate2:Maryland
District2:37B
Term Start2:January 11, 1995
Term End2:January 14, 2015
Predecessor2:Robert Alan Thornton Jr.
Successor2:Christopher T. Adams & Johnny Mautz
Birth Date:8 September 1943
Birth Place:Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Party:Republican

Adelaide C. Eckardt (born September 8, 1943) is an American politician who was a member of the Maryland Senate, representing District 37.

Background

Adelaide C. Eckardt was first elected in 1994 to represent the new District 37B.[1] District 37B covers parts of Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, & Wicomico counties.

She defeated Democratic incumbent Robert Alan Thornton Jr.[2] and served with fellow Republican Kenneth D. Schisler. She ran in 1990, but was defeated by Kenneth D. Schisler, Robert Alan Thornton Jr., and Democrat Samuel Q. Johnson III.[2]

In 1998, Eckardt was reelected along with Schisler.[3] Again in 2002, Eckardt and Schisler won with little competition.[4] Finally, in 2006, Eckardt won reelection, this time with fellow Republican, Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio.[5] Schisler was appointed to the chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission by Governor Bob Ehrlich in May 2003.

Education

Like fellow House Republican Mary Roe Walkup, Eckardt got her career start in nursing. Eckardt attended Bryn Mawr Hospital School of Nursing and received her R.N. degree. She later attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Nursing attaining her B.S. in 1978, and later her M.S. in 1981. She practiced as a Registered Nurse-Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist.[6]

Career

A few years later, Eckardt became an adjunct member of the faculty at Salisbury State University. Later that same year, she became a Psychiatric Nurse Clinical Specialist at Eastern Shore Hospital Center[7] and worked there until 2003. During that same time, she also served as an adjunct member of the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She remained on the faculty from 1991 to 1999.

Eckardt's remained active in her field, but shifted to a more administrative and legislative role. She joined the Executive Committee of the Maryland Hospital Association in 1993 and has served on the Board of Directors for Leadership Maryland, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to the betterment of Maryland,[8] since 2001.

Currently, Eckardt is a board member of the Chesapeake Health Planning Systems, a member of the Maryland Nurses Association,[9] the American Nurses Association,[10] the American Ortho-Psychiatric Association,[11] and Sigma Theta Tau, the honor society of nursing.

She is a past recipient of the Psychiatric Nursing Award from the University of Maryland Graduate School of Nursing[12] in 1981. In 1986 and again in 1991, Eckard was named Nurse of the Year, District 4, by the Maryland Nurses Association.[9] In 1988, she won the Rosalie S. Abrams Legislative Award from the Maryland Nurses Association. She received the Outstanding Board Member Award from the Maryland Nurses Association in 1992. Later she received the Outstanding Rural Legislator Award from the Rural Maryland Council[13] in 2003. Additionally in 2003, she received recognition for her efforts from Local Management Board. Finally, she was listed as a member of Maryland's Top 100 Women by the Daily Record,[14] a local newspaper, in 2003, 2005, and 2007.

In July 2022, Eckardt was defeated in the Republican primary by state delegate Johnny Mautz.[15] Following her defeat, she announced on July 25, 2022, that she would run in the Cambridge mayoral special election on August 23, 2022.[16] No candidate received the majority of the vote, forcing a runoff between Eckardt and former Cambridge commissioner Steve Rideout on September 20, 2022.[17] She was defeated by Rideout 55%-45%.[18] In November 2022, Governor-elect Wes Moore announced that Eckardt would serve on the steering committee of his transition team.[19]

Legislative notes

Election results

Voters to choose two:

NameVotesPercentOutcome
Adelaide C. Eckardt, Rep.19,980  34.5%   Won
Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, Rep.18,677  32.2%   Won
James A. Adkins, Dem.9,640  16.6%   Lost
Tim Quinn, Dem.9,588  16.6%   Lost
Other Write-Ins34  0.1%   Lost

Voters to choose two:

NameVotesPercentOutcome
Adelaide C. Eckardt, Rep.21,100  50.2%   Won
Kenneth D. Schisler, Rep.20,718  49.3%   Won
Other Write-Ins200  0.5%   Lost

Voters to choose two:

NameVotesPercentOutcome
Adelaide C. Eckardt, Rep.16,558  42%   Won
Kenneth D. Schisler, Rep.15,604  40%   Won
William Steven Brohawn, Dem.7,340  19%   Lost

Voters to choose two:

NameVotesPercentOutcome
Adelaide C. Eckardt, Rep.11,422  27%   Won
Kenneth D. Schisler, Rep.14,992  35%   Won
Philip Carey Foster, Dem.6,618  16%   Lost
Robert Alan Thornton Jr, Dem.9,240  22%   Lost

Voters to choose three:

NameVotesPercentOutcome
Samuel Q. Johnson, Dem.12,803  23%   Won
Kenneth D. Schisler, Rep.11,096  20%   Won
Robert Alan Thornton Jr, Dem.12,480  23%   Won
Adelaide C. Eckardt, Rep.9,559  17%   Lost
Don William Bradley, Dem.9,210  17%   Lost

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1994 Gubernatorial Election. elections.maryland.gov.
  2. Web site: 1990 Gubernatorial Election. elections.maryland.gov.
  3. Web site: 1998 Gubernatorial Election. elections.maryland.gov.
  4. Web site: 2002 Gubernatorial Election. elections.maryland.gov.
  5. Web site: Official 2006 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates. elections.maryland.gov.
  6. Web site: Adelaide C. Eckardt, Maryland State Senator . Maryland Manual On-Line . Maryland State Archives . April 6, 2021 . February 22, 2021.
  7. http://www.hospitalsoup.com/rn/asp/HospitalID.11601/pt/hospitaldetails3.asp Hospital details
  8. Web site: Leadership Maryland | Annapolis, MD. www.leadershipmd.org.
  9. Web site: Maryland Nurses Association. Nursing Network.
  10. Web site: ANA Enterprise | American Nurses Association. ANA.
  11. Web site: Home . amerortho.org.
  12. Web site: University of Maryland School of Nursing. nursing.umaryland.edu.
  13. Web site: Rural Maryland Council - A Collective Voice for Rural Maryland. February 8, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070208025736/http://www.ruralforvm.state.md.us/. 2007-02-08.
  14. Web site: MDDailyRecord.com ! Daily News, Entertainment and Gossip. 31 March 2023.
  15. News: Kurtz . Josh . Eckardt, 5 other state lawmakers appear to have lost their primaries; others could still fall . July 21, 2022 . . July 20, 2022.
  16. News: Kurtz . Josh . Sen. Eckardt to run for mayor of Cambridge . July 25, 2022 . . July 25, 2022.
  17. News: Flaks . Rob . Cambridge Mayor race heads to runoff between State Senator Addie Eckardt and former Commissioner Stephen Rideout . September 12, 2022 . . August 24, 2022.
  18. News: Kurtz . Josh . Sen. Eckardt loses comeback bid in Cambridge mayoral election . September 21, 2022 . . September 21, 2022.
  19. News: Cox . Erin . Wiggins . Ovetta . Newly elected Maryland Democrats prepare to take power in Annapolis . November 12, 2022 . . November 10, 2022.
  20. Web site: BILL INFO-2007 Regular Session-HB 359. mlis.state.md.us.
  21. Web site: 2006 Regular Session - Vote Record 0942. mlis.state.md.us.
  22. Web site: 2005 Regular Session - Vote Record 0152. mlis.state.md.us.
  23. Web site: 1999 Regular Session - Vote Record 0870. mlis.state.md.us.
  24. Web site: 2007 Regular Session - Vote Record 0690. mlis.state.md.us.
  25. News: Harley . Deana . 'What are you marching for?': Activist reacts to Senator voting no on police transparency bill . . March 15, 2021 . March 4, 2021.
  26. Web site: House of Delegates Results . Maryland State Board of Elections . September 30, 2007 .
  27. Web site: House of Delegates Results . Maryland State Board of Elections . September 30, 2007 .
  28. Web site: House of Delegates Results . Maryland State Board of Elections . September 30, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071105082842/http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/1998/results_1998/gahod.html. 5 November 2007 . live.
  29. Web site: House of Delegates Results . Maryland State Board of Elections . September 30, 2007 .
  30. Web site: House of Delegates Results . Maryland State Board of Elections . September 30, 2007 .