 In his last general election for the legislature in 1992, Eckels had no Democratic opponent but defeated Clyde Garland, nominee of the Libertarian Party, 39,518 votes (88 percent) to 5,413 (12 percent).Eckels was succeeded in the House in 1995 by the Houston lawyer Joe Nixon, a Republican who also served District 133 for six terms.Upon leaving the house, Eckels began a twelve-year stint as the county judge of the most populous county in Texas.