James David Cain

James David Cain (born October 13, 1938) is a retired farmer and rancher from the Dry Creek community in eastern Beauregard Parish, who is a departing 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 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.

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.

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). Cain was unopposed in 1999.

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 collegebasketball player at McNeese. He was a teacher and coach from 1962 until 1972. He was married to the former Goldie Bonds of DeRidder but is currently married to the former Renee Cole of Ragley. 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 last House election in the 1987 primary, Cain defeated fellow Democrat Horace Lynn Jones, II, 11,486 (72 percent) to 4,485 (28 percent).

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.

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. In his latest race, James David Cain was handily thumped by Dorthy Sue Hill, wife of term-limited House of Representives member Herman Ray Hill in the November 17, 2007 election. It is widely thought that the majority of the voters in Cain's district finally got to know him, hence voting for someone else. Cain is seen as a demagogue by most people who know him. See ya later, redneck!!