Erwin Cain

Erwin Alfred Cain
Texas State Representative from District 3 (Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Red River, and Titus counties)
In office 2011–2013
Preceded by	Mark S. Homer
Succeeded by	Cecil Bell, Jr. (redistricted)
Personal details
Born	March 15, 1960 Place of birth missing
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Hope Hunter Cain
Children	Hunter, Averi, Honour Cain
Residence	Como, Hopkins County Texas, USA
Alma mater	Kilgore Junior College Texas A&M University at Texarkana University of Arkansas Law School
Occupation	Attorney; Businessman
Religion	Baptist

Erwin Alfred Cain (born March 15, 1960) is an attorney and businessman from Sulphur Springs, Texas, who served from 2011 to 2013 as a one-term Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 3 (Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Red River, and Titus counties.^[1] Prior to his election to the state House, the conservative Cain had served as the chairman of the Hopkins County Republican Party. He also launched and chaired the Northeast Texas GOP Chairmen’s Coalition.^[2]

Background

Cain is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edison Cain, Sr. In 1982, he received an associate's degree from Kilgore Junior College in Kilgore, Texas. He graduated in 1985 from Texas A&M University at Texarkana with a Bachelor of Science degree in management and marketing. In 1988, Cain earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas Law School in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Cain and his wife, the former Hope Hunter, reside in Como outside Sulphur Springs, with their three children, Hunter, Averi, and Honour. He is active in the First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs.^[2]

In 2008, Cain was narrowly defeated in a race for the 62nd Judicial District state judgeship. With 17,479 votes (48 percent), he lost to the incumbent Democrat Judge Scott McDowell, who received 18,977 votes (52 percent).^[3] Cain carried Delta, Hopkins, and Rains counties, but McDowell's winning margin is attributed to Lamar County. It was after this judicial race that Cain assumed the Hopkins County Republican chairmanship.^[4]

Legislative matters

With 7,074 votes (60.1 percent), Cain won the Republican nomination for the District 3 House seat on March 2, 2010, by defeating Holland Harper of Paris, the county seat of Lamar County in northeast Texas, who trailed with 4,689 (39.9 percent).^[5] In the ensuing general election on November 2, 2010, Cain unseated the six-term Democratic Representative Mark S. Homer, also of Paris. Homer had narrowly won reelection in 2008 over the Republican Kirby Hollingsworth of Mount Vernon.^[6] Cain received 19,974 votes (56.6 percent) to 14,645 (41.5 percent). The remaining 665 ballots (1.9 percent) went to the Libertarian nominee, J. Douglas Froneberger.^[7]

Prior to his election, Cain had listed his legislative priorities as the reduction of state spending and taxation, protection of property and Second Amendment rights, halting illegal immigration, the passage of a voter identification bill, and the creation of new jobs economic development.^[2] Cain serves on the House Corrections and Government Efficiency & Reform committees.^[8]

Late in 2010, even before Cain took office, Representative Bryan Hughes of Mineola in Wood County, claimed that Larry Phillips, a lawmaker from Sherman, told Hughes that the conservative Cain and neighboring Representative Dan Flynn of Van, Texas, would be redistricted for the 2012 elections because they had declined to commit to the second-term reelection of Speaker Joe Straus, a moderate Republican from San Antonio. In a hearing before the House Ethics Committee, chaired by another East Texas representative, Chuck Hopson of Jacksonville, an ally of Speaker Straus, Phillips denied having made such a claim to Hughes. Neither Hughes nor Phillips taped the conversation. No judgment was made by the committee because of the lack of corroborating witnesses.^[9]

Cain, like his colleague Lanham Lyne of Wichita Falls in North Texas, did not seek a second term in 2012.

References

1. "Rep. Erwin Cain". txdirectory.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
2. "About Erwin". erwincain.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
3. "Texas general election returns, November 4, 2008". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
4. "Changing of the Guard for Hopkins County Republican Party". frontporchnewstexas.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
5. "Republican primary returns, March 2, 2010". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
6. "Mark Homer". lrl.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
7. "Texas general election returns, November 2, 2010". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
8. "Erwin Cain". lrl.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
9. ""Texas House Ethics Panel Takes No Action on Alleged Redistricting Threats by Vice-chair Phillips," November 23, 2010". americanindependent.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.