James David Cain

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James David Cain, Sr.
In office
1992 – January 14, 2008
Preceded by Bryan A. Poston
Succeeded by John Smith
Preceded by E. Holman Jones
Succeeded by Herman Ray Hill
Born October 13, 1938 (1938-10-13) (age 69)
Political party Republican
Spouse (1) Goldie Bonds Cain (divorced)
(2) Rene Cole Cain
Children Melissa Cain Milnor
James David Cain, Jr.
Angela Guglielmo
Joseph Guglielmo.
Occupation Retired Educator, Farmer, Rancher

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 jungle 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 Smith of Leesville, in a bid for Cain's Senate seat in the November 17 general election.

Cain instead ran for the District 32 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives in the November 17 election. He was narrowly defeated by the Democrat Dorothy Sue Hill, also of Dry Creek, 6,070 (51 percent) to 5,759 ballots (49 percent). Cain also trailed Hill in the primary, 5,528 votes (41 percent) to 6,254 ballots (46 percent). Two other candidates held the remaining 12 percent of the primary vote. Mrs. Hill is the wife of term-limited State Representative Herman Ray Hill.

On February 9, 2008, Cain won the seat representing 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).

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

[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 was a college basketball player at McNeese. 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. (Herman Ray Hill is also an inductee into the hall of fame.)

Cain is divorced from the former Goldie Bonds of DeRidder and currently married to the former Renee Cole of Ragely. He has four children: Melissa Cain Milnor, James Cain, Jr., Angela Guglielmo, and Joseph Guglielmo.

Cain served in the United States Army from 1958-1960.

Prior to his Senate service, Cain was a 20-year Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, having first been nominated and elected from District 32 in the 1971-1972 election cycle. In his first general 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). 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).

[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 his first Senate election in the 1991 primary, Cain defeated fellow Democratic House member, Allen Bradley (service: 1984-1992), 17,527 (56 percent) to 13,947 (44 percent). In 1995 Cain defeated the Republican Marion Garland Anthony, 21,278 (73 percent) to 7,962 (27 percent). He was unopposed in 1999.

[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 conservative principles. However, Donelon pointed out that he had been a Republican for some twenty years longer than Cain and had carried the GOP standard 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 the Libertarian 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] References

http://www.jamesdavidcain.com/

http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Cain/biography.asp

http://www.jamesdavidcain.com/download/squirecreek_invite.pdf

http://www.beau.lib.la.us/gov/J-D-CAIN.HTM

http://www.statescape.com/LegislatorInfo/Legislator.asp?FName=James+David&LName=Cain&State=Louisiana

http://www.thedeadpelican.com/CAIN.HTM

http://www.newshorn.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1311&Itemid=120

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/?id=3831

http://www.thepineywoods.com/water.htm

http://www.legis.state.la.us/members/h1812-2008.pdf

http://www.enlou.com/officeholders/senatedistrict30.htm

http://www.legis.state.la.us/members/s1880-2004.pdf#search='c.c.%20taddy%20aycock'

Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Returns of General Election, February 1, 1972, for Members of House of Representatives", p. 12

http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms2&rqsdta=092786

http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=102487

http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=101991

http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=102195

http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=100403

http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms2&rqsdta=093006

http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=102007

http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=111707

http://lhsaa.org/halloffame/HOFInductees1979-2007.html

http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3r&rqsdta=020908

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 Smith