Eric Luedtke
Encyclopedia
Eric Luedtke is an American politician from Maryland
and a member of the Democratic Party
. He was elected in 2010 to the Maryland House of Delegates
, representing District 14 in Montgomery County
, which includes parts of Burtonsville
, Silver Spring
, Olney
, Sandy Spring
, Brookeville
, and Damascus
. Luedtke serves on the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Delegates, and on its Subcommittees on Education, Transportation, and Financial Resources (gambling).
and later the University of Maryland, College Park
, where he met his wife Emily. He has worked as a middle school social studies teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools
. After becoming a teacher, he became involved with the Montgomery County Education Association, where he served on the Board of Directors. He also served on Montgomery County's East County Citizens Advisory Board and advocated on environmental issues with the local Sierra Club
.
. He dropped out of the Senate race, but in early 2010 two seats in the House of Delegates became open when incumbent Delegate Karen S. Montgomery
decided to challenge Kramer and Delegate Herman L. Taylor, Jr.
began a campaign against Congresswoman Donna Edwards
. Luedtke entered the campaign for one of the district's three seats in the House of Delegates, competing against seven other Democrats in the primary. In the primary election on September 14, 2010, Luedtke f inished in third place, behind incumbent Delegate Anne Kaiser
and political staffer Craig Zucker
. Democrats swept the general election in the district, winning the three Delegate seats as well as the Senate seat. Luedtke was sworn into the House of Delegates on January 12, 2011.
During his first term in the House of Delegates, Luedtke was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax policy, education, transportation, election law, and gambling. He participated in debates on a number of major issues in his first year. During the floor debate on the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would have legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland, Luedtke helped defeat hostile amendments. He also played a role in passage of the Maryland Dream Act, giving undocumented children the right to in state tuition at Maryland Universities. In that debate, he was quoted by the Baltimore Sun as arguing that, "We are talking about children. They didn't make the decision to cross the border," and therefore should not be punished for decisions their parents made.
and Karen S. Montgomery
decided to run for higher offices. Luedtke was successful in the Democratic primary, coming in third behind incumbent Delegate Anne Kaiser
and political staffer Craig Zucker
.
, Eric Luedtke and Craig Zucker
faced Republican nominees Patricia Fenati, Henry Kahwaty and Maria Peña-Faustino. All Democratic candidates won in a landslide, with Luedtke placing third.
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He was elected in 2010 to the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
, representing District 14 in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, which includes parts of Burtonsville
Burtonsville, Maryland
Burtonsville is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-History:In colonial times, the area was referred to as the Patuxent Hundred and later the Eastern Branch Hundred, a community comprising about 100 inhabitants...
, Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Olney
Olney, Maryland
Olney, a census-designated place and an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, is located in the north central part of the county, twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. It was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when growth of the Washington suburbs led to its conversion into...
, Sandy Spring
Sandy Spring, Maryland
Sandy Spring, Maryland is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland.The community was founded by Quakers who arrived in the early 18th century searching for land where they could grow tobacco and corn. One of the very early land owners in the Sandy Spring area was Richard Snowden,...
, Brookeville
Brookeville, Maryland
Brookeville is a town located twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. and two miles north of Olney in northeastern Montgomery County, Maryland. Brookeville was settled by Quakers late in the 18th century, and was formally incorporated as a town in 1808...
, and Damascus
Damascus, Maryland
Damascus is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.In the early part of the 20th century, there was an incorporated municipality there for about a quarter century, but it no longer exists...
. Luedtke serves on the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Delegates, and on its Subcommittees on Education, Transportation, and Financial Resources (gambling).
Background
Luedtke was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, attending Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, MarylandRockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
and later the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, where he met his wife Emily. He has worked as a middle school social studies teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools ' is a school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. It is the largest school district in Maryland. As of the 2009–2010 school year, the district had 11,500 FTE teachers serving 141,777 students at 200 schools.Students in the district score among the...
. After becoming a teacher, he became involved with the Montgomery County Education Association, where he served on the Board of Directors. He also served on Montgomery County's East County Citizens Advisory Board and advocated on environmental issues with the local Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
.
Political career
In the fall of 2009, Luedtke explored a run against incumbent State Senator Rona E. KramerRona E. Kramer
Rona E. Kramer is an American politician from Maryland, a member of the Democratic Party, and a former member of the Maryland State Senate. She finished serving her 2nd term in the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 14 in Montgomery County in 2010. She was defeated in the 2010...
. He dropped out of the Senate race, but in early 2010 two seats in the House of Delegates became open when incumbent Delegate Karen S. Montgomery
Karen S. Montgomery
Karen Slater Montgomery is an American politician and artist from the state of Maryland. A Democrat, she is currently serving as the state senator for the Maryland State Senate from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts of Silver Spring, Burtonsville, Olney, Barnesville, Brookeville,...
decided to challenge Kramer and Delegate Herman L. Taylor, Jr.
Herman L. Taylor, Jr.
Herman L. Taylor, Jr. is an American politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003-2011 in Maryland's 14th Legislative District...
began a campaign against Congresswoman Donna Edwards
Donna Edwards
Donna F. Edwards is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
. Luedtke entered the campaign for one of the district's three seats in the House of Delegates, competing against seven other Democrats in the primary. In the primary election on September 14, 2010, Luedtke f inished in third place, behind incumbent Delegate Anne Kaiser
Anne Kaiser
Anne R. Kaiser is an American politician from the state of Maryland and is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Maryland. She is currently serving her third term as one of three members of the House of Delegates from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts of Silver Spring, Calverton,...
and political staffer Craig Zucker
Craig Zucker
Craig Zucker is an American politician from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts or all of Silver Spring, Calverton, Colesville, Cloverly, Fairland, Burtonsville, Spencerville, Olney, Brookeville, Ashton, Sandy Spring, Brinklow, Laytonsville, Sunshine, Goshen, Montgomery Village and...
. Democrats swept the general election in the district, winning the three Delegate seats as well as the Senate seat. Luedtke was sworn into the House of Delegates on January 12, 2011.
During his first term in the House of Delegates, Luedtke was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax policy, education, transportation, election law, and gambling. He participated in debates on a number of major issues in his first year. During the floor debate on the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would have legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland, Luedtke helped defeat hostile amendments. He also played a role in passage of the Maryland Dream Act, giving undocumented children the right to in state tuition at Maryland Universities. In that debate, he was quoted by the Baltimore Sun as arguing that, "We are talking about children. They didn't make the decision to cross the border," and therefore should not be punished for decisions their parents made.
2010 Democratic Primary
In 2010, Luedtke ran for the House of Delegates after then-Delegates Herman L. Taylor, Jr.Herman L. Taylor, Jr.
Herman L. Taylor, Jr. is an American politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003-2011 in Maryland's 14th Legislative District...
and Karen S. Montgomery
Karen S. Montgomery
Karen Slater Montgomery is an American politician and artist from the state of Maryland. A Democrat, she is currently serving as the state senator for the Maryland State Senate from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts of Silver Spring, Burtonsville, Olney, Barnesville, Brookeville,...
decided to run for higher offices. Luedtke was successful in the Democratic primary, coming in third behind incumbent Delegate Anne Kaiser
Anne Kaiser
Anne R. Kaiser is an American politician from the state of Maryland and is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Maryland. She is currently serving her third term as one of three members of the House of Delegates from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts of Silver Spring, Calverton,...
and political staffer Craig Zucker
Craig Zucker
Craig Zucker is an American politician from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts or all of Silver Spring, Calverton, Colesville, Cloverly, Fairland, Burtonsville, Spencerville, Olney, Brookeville, Ashton, Sandy Spring, Brinklow, Laytonsville, Sunshine, Goshen, Montgomery Village and...
.
| Name | Votes | Percent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Kaiser (incumbent) | 6380 | 24.1% | Won |
| Craig Zucker | 6216 | 23.5% | Won |
| Eric Luedtke | 3696 | 14% | Won |
| Jodi Finkelstein | 3154 | 11.9% | Lost |
| Robert "Bo" Newsome | 2834 | 10.7% | Lost |
| Gerald Roper | 1660 | 6.3% | Lost |
| Neeta Datt | 1288 | 4.9% | Lost |
| Vanessa Ali | 1244 | 4.7% | Lost |
2010 General Election
In the 2010 General Election, Democratic nominees Anne KaiserAnne Kaiser
Anne R. Kaiser is an American politician from the state of Maryland and is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Maryland. She is currently serving her third term as one of three members of the House of Delegates from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts of Silver Spring, Calverton,...
, Eric Luedtke and Craig Zucker
Craig Zucker
Craig Zucker is an American politician from Maryland's 14th District, which includes parts or all of Silver Spring, Calverton, Colesville, Cloverly, Fairland, Burtonsville, Spencerville, Olney, Brookeville, Ashton, Sandy Spring, Brinklow, Laytonsville, Sunshine, Goshen, Montgomery Village and...
faced Republican nominees Patricia Fenati, Henry Kahwaty and Maria Peña-Faustino. All Democratic candidates won in a landslide, with Luedtke placing third.
| Name | Votes | Percent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Kaiser (incumbent) | 23503 | 21.5% | Won |
| Craig Zucker | 22148 | 20.2% | Won |
| Eric Luedtke | 21165 | 19.3% | Won |
| Patricia Fenati | 14866 | 13.6 | Lost |
| Henry Kahwaty | 14152 | 12.9% | Lost |
| Maria Peña-Faustino | 13639 | 12.5% | Lost |