It was a pummeling that hardly anyone could have expected.
District 37 challenger Johnny Mautz took 75 percent of the vote in the Republican primary election last week over incumbent Addie …
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It was a pummeling that hardly anyone could have expected.
District 37 challenger Johnny Mautz took 75 percent of the vote in the Republican primary election last week over incumbent Addie Eckardt.
With just a handful of mail-in and provisional ballots yet to be counted, Mautz has 9,879 votes to Eckardt’s 3,347.
District 37 includes portions of Wicomico County, and all of Dorchester, Caroline and Talbot counties.
Only two Republicans were in the state Senate race, which means Mautz will face Democratic nominee Naomi Hyman of Easton in November. Hyman, who was unopposed, received 7,929 votes.
Eckardt defeated longtime incumbent state Sen. Rich Colburn in 2014, after having served in the House of Delegates since 1994, representing District 37B.
Mautz grew up in St. Michaels and Easton before graduating from the University of Dayton in 1994 and Ohio Northern University Law School in 1997. He and his family own and operate the Carpenter Street Saloon in St. Michaels.
He previously worked as a legislative lawyer for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 and is a longtime member of the House Economic Matters Committee.
In post-election comments, Eckardt said she will continue servine constituents over the next five months.
“I want to thank you all for your support through the recent challenging primary election,” Eckhardt said. “I have deeply appreciated serving District 37 as your state Senator.
“... The people have spoken so I will be vacating my seat when the newly elected Senator is sworn in. Until then, I will continue serving the district with pride,” Eckardt said.
Mautz, who has said repeatedly that he was hesitant to challenge his fellow Republican,
“I want to express my gratitude to Sen. Eckardt for her service and competitive drive in what has turned out to be a very spirited primary election,” Mautz said. “As I have always said, I consider Addie a friend, and I will wish her nothing but the very best in the days and months ahead.”