ARBUTUS (Md.) — Calls for the resignation of Maryland Del. Eric Bouchat, a Republican representing Carroll and Frederick counties, intensified this week as the freshman legislator defended his ongoing absence from the House chamber.
He has spent over a third of the 90-day legislative session, which ends next Monday, voting present and then leaving Annapolis, while a marble statue of Aristotle remains in his seat. Calling Aristotle the “father of political science,” Bouchat says he is using “political science” as a form of protest against a system where Republican votes “don’t matter.”
“I’m speaking the truth. People resent those who speak the truth,” Bouchat said.
Bouchat’s standoff, which started as a protest over Republican political irrelevance in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, has now grown into a wider dispute over legislative accountability and whether the delegate is meeting the duties of the office he was elected to hold.
Del. Eric Bouchat, R-Carroll and Frederick counties, has been working in his welding shop in Arbutus, Md., rather than at the Maryland State House for over a month. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland){ }
“I am more effective doing precisely what I am doing now,” said Bouchat on Tuesday at his welding business in Arbutus, where Spotlight on Maryland followed him after he departed Annapolis during session hours. “I am more effective doing this protest and bringing attention than casting votes that really don’t matter.”
Democrats hold veto-proof majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, allowing legislation to advance without Republican support. Still, minority party lawmakers traditionally participate in floor debate, committee work, and bill negotiations throughout the session.
Bouchat earns $55,000 annually as a full-time legislator during the 90-day session, according to data The Baltimore Sun obtained in 2025 through a public records request. The lawmaker also gets a free license plate, a daily living allowance during session, and several other office benefits.
‘He should resign’
The visit to Bouchat’s welding shop comes roughly a week and a half after Spotlight on Maryland first confronted the Republican outside the State House about his repeated departures. Republicans quickly demanded Bouchat’s resignation after the news report, with his own delegation in Carroll and Frederick counties leading the calls.
Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready, R-Carroll and Frederick counties, who Bouchat represents in the House, told Spotlight on Maryland he is tired of the bizarre behavior and what he defined as a “disservice” that is “borderline unethical.”
“He should resign,” Ready said. “That’s been my position.”
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Del. Chris Tomlinson, R-Carroll and Frederick Counties, who shares Bouchat’s district, said frustration with the delegate’s conduct has grown both in Annapolis and back home.
I think that he is now catching grief back home, rightfully so,” Tomlinson said. “He’s frustrated, and he’s kind of just doing damage control right now.”
Tomlinson also dismissed Bouchat’s continued public appearances and interviews as an attempt to generate attention.
“All the attention he’s getting is exactly what he seeks and wants,” Tomlinson said. “If he were to quit tomorrow, that media attention would suddenly come to an end.”
‘Highly inappropriate’ email
The scrutiny has extended beyond Bouchat’s absence from the chamber.
Spotlight on Maryland questioned Bouchat about an email he sent to fellow lawmakers in which he described one of the leading voices calling for his resignation – his seatmate Tomlinson – as “a small vulnerable man,” later adding, “if we were in prison, you [Republican leadership] would be sexually abusing him.”
Asked what he meant by the remarks, Bouchat said the message was intended as a sort of metaphor for politics and power.
The instincts of men are the same,” Bouchat said. “They’re taking advantage of a small man because he wants to be part of the system.”
Tomlinson called the email “highly inappropriate.”
Bouchat sent Tomlinson, Ready and Del. April Rose, all fellow representatives of Frederick and Carroll counties, $1,000 blanks checks this week inside Easter cards.
“We are brothers in God’s love,” Bouchat wrote. “Pick a local charity and donate.”
An Easter card that Del. Chris Tomlinson, R-Carroll and Frederick counties, received from his seatmate, Del. Eric Bouchat, after calling for his resignation. The card and blank checks were sent after Spotlight on Maryland asked Bouchat if he thought he was stealing taxpayer money by collecting a state salary and purposely not working. Private information was redacted from this photo. (Gary Collins/Spotlight on Maryland)
The cards and checks were sent to Bouchat’s seatmates after Spotlight on Maryland asked Bouchat if he was stealing from taxpayers by collecting a salary from the state while actively running his welding business.
‘Stand up’
Bouchat said on Tuesday that Republicans are given only “crumbs,” dismissing several bills that have advanced this session as too minor to meaningfully affect constituents.
Maryland Del. Eric Bouchat, R-Carroll and Frederick counties, welding in his shop while the state’s legislative session is underway. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)
Legislative records show other Republican lawmakers have successfully advanced measures on issues including squatting, juvenile justice reform and tax policy. Prior reporting by Spotlight on Maryland also found that legislation sponsored by Tomlinson and other Republicans has progressed beyond committee and, in some cases, toward the governor’s desk.
When pressed on whether his dispute was with Republican leadership or the General Assembly itself, Bouchat shifted blame toward Maryland’s political structure.
My issue is the fact that the General Assembly is created off of gerrymandering,” Bouchat said.
He also defended leaving Annapolis during the workday by saying that at least one lawmaker needed to “stand up” against what he views as an ineffective system.
Earlier reporting by Spotlight on Maryland documented that Bouchat had cited financial pressure at his welding business as another factor in his decision to leave session early.
“This job has almost put me out of business,” Bouchat previously said.
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That explanation has done little to quiet criticism from constituents and lawmakers who argue that remaining present for debate and votes is a basic expectation of elected office.
Residents have described the situation as “frustrating” and questioned why a lawmaker drawing a state salary would routinely leave after only a few minutes.
Bouchat to run for governor?
Despite mounting calls for resignation, Bouchat said he has no intention of stepping down.
Instead, he said he plans to seek higher office and intends to run for governor in 2030.
“I’d still be on the job,” Bouchat said when asked how he would respond if a future veto as governor was overridden.
For now, however, the most visible symbol of his protest remains the same: an empty chair on the House floor, occupied not by the elected delegate, but by a statue of Aristotle.
Now, the freshman lawmaker is facing a rare resolution in the House to expel him, introduced late Friday by Del. Lauren Arikan, R-Harford County. The resolution’s fate is unclear as the state’s legislative session comes to a close.
Send news tips about this story or others to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.
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