Chuck McMains

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Francis Charles "Chuck" McMains, Jr.
In office
1992 – 2001
Preceded by Edward Clark Gaudin
Succeeded by Gary James Beard
Born October 14, 1948 (1948-10-14) (age 59)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Political party Republican
Spouse Mary Lynn Coit McMains
Occupation Attorney, businessman, lobbyist
Religion Methodist

Francis Charles "Chuck" McMains, Jr. (born October 14, 1948), is a Baton Rouge attorney and businessman who was a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992-2001, having represented District 69 (East Baton Rouge Parish). In 1996, McMains made an unsuccessful race for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democrat J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.

He was born in Baton Rouge to Dr. and Mrs. Charles McMains, Sr. He graduated in 1966 from University High School in Baton Rouge. He procured a bachelor of arts degree from Louisiana State University in 1970 and a Juris Doctor in 1973 from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. He also holds Certified Life Underwriter designation in the life insurance field.

McMains is a former vice president of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and a past chairman of the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce. He is a past president of the Baton Rouge Symphony and National Public Radio of Baton Rouge. He is a member of the board of directors of the Louisiana Arts and Science Center. He also holds membership in Rotary International and the Louisiana Council for Fiscal Reform. He has been chairman of the Civil Justice Reform Committee of the trade association known as the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. He is a lobbyist for ICF International, a high-powered global professional services firm.

McMains entered the jungle primary on October 19, 1991, against four opponents seeking to succeed the retiring State Representative Edward Clark Gaudin, the first Republican legislator from East Baton Rouge Parish since Reconstruction. McMains led the primary balloting with 4,600 votes (38 percent). Fellow Republican James "Jim" Talbot finished second with 3,729 ballots (31 percent); in third place was Republican Jefferson "Jeff" Angers, with 2,908 ballots (24 percent). Only 7 percent of voters in the heavily Republican 69th District voted Democratic, with their ballots split among two minor candidates.

In the second balloting on November 16, 1991, McMains defeated Talbot, 7,015 (53 percent) to 6,314 (47 percent). McMains was reelected in the 1995 primary with 10,502 votes (87 percent) to the Democrat Tommy L. Reese's 1,524 ballots (13 percent). McMains was unopposed for his third term in 1999.

Originally a conservative reform legislator, McMains became the House floor leader for Republican Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. In that role, McMains championed nearly a billion dollars in tax hikes. Earlier, McMains had criticized Democratic Governor Edwin Washington Edwards for putting sales taxes on food and utilities in the first place. Under Foster, however, McMains not only approved keeping those taxes, he instituted a one-cent increase. He resigned midway through that term in the summer of 2001. McMains and Foster supported David Boneno, a member of the Baton Rouge metro council, as McMains' successor. Boneno, however, was easily defeated by Gary J. Beard, who ran on an anti-tax platform and also enjoyed the support of the Louisiana Christian Coalition.

McMains was also the principal author of the Louisiana tort reform law passed in the Foster administration.

In the U.S. Senate election held on September 21, 1996, McMains polled only 45,164 votes (4 percent) in a 15-candidate field. The top two votegetters, Republican Woody Jenkins of Baton Rouge and Mary Landrieu of New Orleans then competed in the November general election. Landrieu emerged as the narrow but disputed winner.

McMains is married to the former Mary Lynn Coit. He is Methodist.

Preceded by
Edward Clark Gaudin (R)		 Louisiana State Representative from District 69 (East Baton Rouge Parish)

Francis Charles "Chuck" McMains, Jr. (R)
1992–2001

 Succeeded by
Gary James Beard (R)

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