Christopher Eric Bouchat (born October 2, 1967) is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 5, which encompasses Carroll County, Maryland. He was previously a member of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners from 2018 to 2022, representing District 4 in southwest Carroll County.
Background
Bouchat graduated from St. Augustine's Catholic School (now St. Augustine Elementary School) and Howard High School. He attended the Howard Vocational-Technical Center, where he earned a welding certificate, Catonsville Community College, where he earned a degree in business administration, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he earned a degree in political science. Bouchat worked as a welder with Patrick Aircraft Tank Systems in Columbia, Maryland, before starting his own welding business in 1994.
Political involvement
Bouchat first became involved in politics in 1992, when he ran for the United States House of Representatives in Maryland's 3rd congressional district. In 1994, he unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland Senate in District 12, receiving 37 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.
From 2003 to 2004, Bouchat served on the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee.
In 2006, Bouchat ran for the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, challenging the three incumbent Republican commissioners. He once again ran for the Carroll County Board of Commissioners in 2010.
In October 2013, Bouchat filed to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 9A, seeking to succeed outgoing state delegate Gail H. Bates. Bouchat was the top vote-getter in the Carroll County part of the district, but lost the primary to Howard County Republicans Warren Miller and Trent Kittleman, both of whom went on to win the general election.
In 2018, Bouchat ran for the Carroll County Board of Commissioners in District 4, seeking to succeed outgoing county commissioner Richard Rothschild. He won the Republican primary in June, receiving 44.1 percent of the vote. He defeated Democrat Paul Johnson in the general election, receiving 65.5 percent of the vote, and was sworn in on December 4, 2018. On July 26, 2019, Bouchat announced that he would not seek re-election to a second term in 2022.
In March 2020, Bouchat expressed interest in running for the Maryland General Assembly. In December, Bouchat filed to fill a vacancy in the Maryland House of Delegates that was left vacant by the resignation of state delegate Warren Miller. His candidacy was endorsed by former state delegates Al Redmer Jr. and Donald E. Murphy. On January 6, 2021, fellow candidate Reid Novotny was selected to fill the rest of Miller's term. In 2022, Bouchat filed to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 9A, but was later redrawn into District 5. Bouchat won the Republican primary on July 20, receiving 12.1 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed in the general election.
Redistricting lawsuits
In 2012, Bouchat filed a lawsuit challenging the state's legislative redistricting plan, in which he pleaded to the Maryland Court of Appeals to establish a new legislative body that would have each county represented by two state senators and for the county's population to determine its number of state delegates, each belonging to a single-member district. The Court of Appeals issued an order upholding the state's redistricting plan, denying Bouchat's arguments against it. In January 2013, Bouchat appealed the case by filing a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court denied the petition on April 15.
In early 2015, Bouchat filed a lawsuit in the Carroll County Circuit Court challenging the state's legislative redistricting plan, which was dismissed after the judge determined that the court did not have jurisdiction over the matter. In August 2015, Bouchat again filed a lawsuit challenging the state's legislative redistricting plan, blaming the composition of District 9A for his loss in the 2014 elections.
In the legislature
Bouchat was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2023. He is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. In March 2023, Bouchat said he did not plan to run for re-election in 2026.