Texas state Senate candidate Sarah Eckhardt, the acting county judge in Travis County, has acknowledged violating a campaign ethics law by accepting political contributions before she appointed a treasurer.

Eckhardt, after announcing her resignation as county judge on March 10, began soliciting political donations on her website for the state Senate race. She also sent emails to supporters seeking donations.

Candidates in statewide races are prohibited by the Texas Ethics Commission from knowingly accepting a contribution at a time when a campaign treasurer is not in place. An offense can be prosecuted as a Class A misdemeanor.

Eckhardt told the American-Statesman on Thursday that she was preoccupied with steering the county through the coronavirus pandemic and had forgotten to appoint a treasurer. After learning of the problem, records show Eckhardt on April 8 filed a report with the state naming Carol Hatfield as her treasurer. Hatfield has long been Eckhardt’s treasurer in county elections.

"The last five weeks have been like no other, and I frankly forgot to file that piece of paper," Eckhardt told the Statesman. "But with everything else going on, that was a quick fix. Now, I can move my attention back to stuff that’s a lot more challenging to fix."

Eckhardt said she returned all of the donations she received before the treasurer’s appointment, which she estimated at $5,000.

Local attorney Buck Wood, who specializes in election law, predicted that if the state takes any action, it’ll be a modest fine of maybe $500.

"No harm, no foul," Wood said. "They certainly won’t be excited about it, because it’s not anything unusual."

A complaint was filed Tuesday with the Texas Ethics Commission, which could decide to refer it for prosecution, hit Eckhardt with a fine, or do nothing at all.

The person who filed the complaint is University of Texas government student Blake Beatty, who said he discovered Eckhardt’s impermissible fundraising, because "I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands during the quarantine."

Beatty, a junior from Granbury, said the Ethics Commission emailed a response to his complaint stating it would determine if the complaint complied with legal requirements and get back with him in five business days.

"I’ve been involved in Austin politics since I’ve been down here in college, and this is a big race," Beatty said.

J.R. Johnson, general counsel for the Commission, declined to address the allegations against Eckhardt, citing a state law that prohibits him from confirming or denying the existence of pending complaints. Speaking generally about candidates who accept money without a treasurer appointment, Johnson said the facts of a case will determine whether a violation occurred and whether a civil penalty should be imposed.

Eckhardt would not speculate Thursday on whether she will be disciplined.

"At this point, I am living the truth that there is some stuff that’s in your control and some stuff that’s not," she said. "I’m going to concentrate on stuff that’s in my control."

The state has called a July 14 special election for the Senate District 14 seat vacated by the unexpected departure of Austin Democratic Sen. Kirk Watson. Eckhardt, the Travis County judge for more than five years, was among the first to express interest in the seat after Watson announced in February he was leaving the 31-member Senate to be the founding dean of the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs.

While others with initial interest later pulled back, including state Reps. Donna Howard, Celia Israel and Gina Hinojosa, Eckhardt jumped in with a March 10 announcement that also prompted her resignation as county judge. The plan was for Eckhardt to work two more weeks before her replacement, former Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe, took over with a formal oath of office.

However, when the coronavirus pandemic reached Austin, Eckhardt instead remained as judge in a holdover capacity, which allowed her to make critical public health decisions, such as closing nonessential businesses and requiring people to stay indoors.

Now, the plan is for Biscoe to hold off on taking the oath of office until Eckhardt files for the state Senate race in mid-May. Biscoe then will appoint Eckhardt to an emergency management position.

State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, has also announced his candidacy for the state Senate race. Austin City Council Member Greg Casar has appointed a treasurer for a possible campaign, and local personal injury lawyer Adam Loewy has expressed interest as well.

Loewy has been vocal on Twitter in criticizing Eckhardt’s decision to resign from office amid the global crisis. Former Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire, another critic, called the decision by Eckhardt to stay in the holdover role "distasteful."

Aleshire said Eckhardt’s issue with the state over the failed treasurer designation should not have happened.

"That’s election law 101," he said, adding, "someone who wants to be a lawmaker should not be a law breaker."