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James David Cain, Sr.
James David Cain
Louisiana State Senate District 30 (Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Vernon parishes)
In office
1992–2008
Preceded byBryan A. Poston
Succeeded byJohn R. Smith
Louisiana House of Representatives District 32 (Allen, Beauregard, and Calcasieu parishes)
In office
1972–1992
Preceded byE. Holman Jones
Succeeded byHerman Ray Hill
Personal details
BornOctober 13, 1938 (age 73)
Political partyDemocrat-turned-Republican
Spouse(s)(1) Goldie Bonds Cain (divorced)
(2) Rene Cole Cain
ChildrenMelissa Cain Gill
James David Cain, Jr.
Angela Guglielmo
Joseph Guglielmo.
OccupationRetired educator, farmer,rancher
Military service
Service/branchUnited States Army
James David Cain, Sr. (born October 13, 1938), is a retired farmer and rancher from the Dry Creek community in eastern Beauregard Parish, who is a former Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate.
Term-limited, Cain was ineligible to run for a fifth term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007. His Senate District 30 encompasses parts of Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Vernon parishes in western Louisiana. Democrat Claude Leach, a former member of both the Louisiana House and the United States House of Representatives, was defeated by another Democrat, John R. Smith of Leesville, in a bid for Cain's Senate seat in the November 17 general election.
On February 9, 2008, Cain won the seat for Louisiana House District 32 seat on the Republican State Central Committee in the closed primary for party offices. He defeated Kennis Paul Smith, 490 (69 percent) to 216 (31 percent).
While he was a senator, Cain chaired the Senate Insurance Committee and formerly headed the Agriculture and Natural Resources panel. He is a strong advocate of protecting his state's underground water sources to prevent depletion.

Contents

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[edit]Early years, education, House service

Cain graduated from Pitkin High School in rural Pitkin in southeastern Vernon Parish. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in education from McNeese State University in Lake Charles. He played basketball for the McNeese Cowboys. He was a teacher and coach from 1962 until 1972. In 1993, Cain was inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Cain is divorced from the former Goldie Bonds of DeRidder and currently married to the former Renee Cole of Ragley, Louisiana. He has four children: Melissa Cain Gill, James Cain, Jr., Angela Guglielmo, and Joseph Guglielmo.
His brother, Burl Cain, is the warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
Cain served in the United States Army from 1958 to 1960. Prior to his Senate service, Cain was a 20-year Democratic member of theLouisiana House of Representatives, having first been nominated and elected from District 32 in the 1971-1972 election cycle. In his firstgeneral election for the Louisiana House on February 1, 1972, Cain defeated Republican Edward King Alexander, 3,952 (66.4 percent) to 2,000 (33.6 percent),[1] In his last House election in the 1987 primary, Cain defeated fellow Democrat Horace Lynn Jones, II, 11,486 (72 percent) to 4,485 (28 percent).
As a state House member, Cain built his career by being on friendly terms with Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. Ron Gomez, a House colleague from Lafayette, describes Cain, accordingly:
". . . a masterful politician. He had disciplined himself to make ten phone calls per day to constituents. He did it every day, absolutely without fail. His legislative aide would give him 3 x 5 cards with a voter's name, address, phone number, occupation and names of family members and other pertinent information as available on each one. James David would call ten of them a day, note on the card the subject and gist of each conversation and the aide would write a follow-up letter the next day. The subject of the conversation was not significant. The fact of the call was the important thing. . . . How can you beat that kind of politicking?"[2]

[edit]1986 congressional race

In 1986, Cain ran unsuccessfully in the primary for the Seventh Congressional District seat vacated by John B. Breaux, then of Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, who would instead win the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Russell B. Long. Cain only narrowly failed to gain a general election berth, and the seat was won by Democrat (and later Republican) James A. "Jimmy" Hayes of Lafayette. Cain polled 40,554 votes (24 percent), but he was edged out of second place by legislative colleague Margaret Lowenthal of Lake Charles, who received 42,839 (25 percent). Hayes led with 51,137 (30 percent). Also in the race was the Republican David Thibodaux (1953–2007) of Lafayette, who received 21,082 (12 percent). Two other contenders shared the remaining 8 percent of the vote. In the general election, Hayes defeated Lowenthal.

[edit]Four Senate elections

Cain switched affiliation to Republican prior to his last Senate election in 2003, when he received 19,609 votes (72 percent) to 6,411 (23 percent) for the Democrat Lloydell "Iles" Mullican and 1,345 (5 percent) for the "No Party" Arnold Russell Williams. He was hence nominated without the need for a general election.
In 1991, Senator Bryan A. Poston, a Hornbeck businessman first elected in 1964, announced that he would not seek an eighth term in the Senate. Cain and a fellow Democratic House member, Allen Bradley, hence contested the open seat, which encompassed Calcasieu (seven precincts), Beauregard, Vernon, and Sabine parishes. Cain prevailed with 17,527 (56 percent) to Bradley's 13,947 (44 percent).[3]In 1995 Cain defeated the Republican Marion Garland Anthony, 21,278 (73 percent) to 7,962 (27 percent). He was unopposed in 1999.
As a senator, Cain was among legislators who opposed the since repealed 2002 Stelly Plan, a tax shifting proposal to reduce state sales taxes on food consumed at home and on utilities with a corresponding increase in state income taxes, which particularly impacted higher-income taxpayers.The plan was named for former State Representative Vic Stelly of Lake Charles.[4]

[edit]Running for insurance commissioner

On September 30, 2006, Cain was defeated in a special election for state insurance commissioner by his fellow Republican James J. "Jim" Donelon of Jefferson Parish, who had succeeded to the position in 2005 on the resignation of J. Robert Wooley, a Democrat elected in 2003. In that race, Cain charged that Donelon, also a former Democrat, was insufficiently committed to Republican and conservativeprinciples. However, Donelon pointed out that he had been a Republican for some twenty years longer than Cain and had carried the GOPstandard in several important elections, including the U.S. Senate race in 1998 against the popular incumbent Senator Breaux.
Cain unveiled a five-point plan to bring "integrity, efficiency, and accountability" to the insurance office. He accused Donelon, with whom he had served in the state House, of having billied the state $50 per hour to attend birthday and retirement parties as well as fundraising galas. He charged that Donelon was not working with insurance companies, such as Allstate, which were threatening to leave Louisiana because of the lack of return. Cain won high-powered endorsements, including former Governor Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer, III, Republican financier Donald T. Bollinger, and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. He also picked up the support of a third candidate, DeAnne Henke of Lafayette, who withdrew prior to the primary.
In the end though, voters stuck with Donelon: 284,281 (50 percent) to Cain's 222,732 (39 percent), and 60,182 (11 percent) for theLibertarian S.B.A. Zaitoon of Baton Rouge. Had either Cain or Zaitoon polled an additional 1,368 votes, there would have been a second race between Donelon and Cain in conjunction with the November 7, 2006, general election.

[edit]2011 Senate election

Cain challenged the reelection of John R. Smith, his successor in the state Senate who like Cain is a convert to the Republican Party. Smith led the primary on October 22, 2011, with 9,808 votes (45.6 percent). Cain followed with 6,343 (29.5 percent). The two met in the general election held on November 19, 2011. Democrat Terry Fowler held the remaining but critical 5,370 votes (25 percent).[5] In the general election, Smith, who carried the backing of Governor Bobby Jindal, easily defeated Cain.

[edit]References

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  1. ^ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Returns of General Election, February 1, 1972, for Members of House of Representatives", p. 12
  2. ^ Ron Gomez, My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative,Lafayette, Louisiana: Zemog Publishing, 2000, pp, 253-254, ISBN=0-9700156-0-7
  3. ^ "Election returns, October 19, 1991". sos.louisiana.gov. Retrieved October 4, 2009.[dead link]
  4. ^ "Between the Lines: "Stelly still trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear"". jeffsadow.blogspot.com. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
  5. ^ "Louisiana primary election returns, October 22, 2011". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2009)
Political offices
Preceded by
E. Holman Jones		Louisiana State Representative from District 32 (Allen, Beauregard, and Calcasieu parishes)
1972–1992		Succeeded by
Herman Ray Hill
Preceded by
Bryan A. Poston		Louisiana State Senator from District 30 (Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Vernon parishes)
1992–2008		Succeeded by
John R. Smith
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