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{{Short description|American politician}} | |||
{{Infobox state representative | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}} | |||
| image = | |||
{{Infobox officeholder | |||
| name = Briscoe Cain | |||
| image = File:Briscoe Cain (cropped).jpg | |||
| state_house = Texas | |||
| |
| caption = Cain in 2017 | ||
| name = Briscoe Cain | |||
| term_start = January 10, 2017 | |||
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| state_house = Texas | ||
| district = ] | |||
| predecessor = ] | |||
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| term_start = January 10, 2017 | ||
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| term_end = | ||
| predecessor = ] | |||
| birth_place = | |||
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| successor = | ||
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| birth_name = | ||
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|12|09}} | ||
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| birth_place = ], U.S. | ||
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| death_date = | ||
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| death_place = | ||
| party = ] | |||
| children = Four boys | |||
| alma_mater = ] (])<br />] (]) | |||
| residence = | |||
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| occupation = ] | ||
| spouse = | |||
| website = | |||
| children = 5 | |||
| parents = | |||
| residence = ], U.S. | |||
| religion = | |||
| website = {{URL|https://www.briscoecain.com}} | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Briscoe Cain''' (born December 9, 1984)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.txdirectory.com/online/person/?id=56287|title=Rep. Briscoe Cain|publisher=txdirectory.com|access-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> is an American ] and ] member of the ] for ]. | |||
'''Briscoe Cain''' is an American politician. He is a Republican member of the ], representing the 128th District. In the 2016 Republican primary election, Cain defeated incumbent ] by 23 votes. In the general election, Cain defeated Libertarian candidate Ken Lowder.<ref>{{cite news|title=Texas 128th District State House Results: Briscoe Cain Wins|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/texas-state-house-district-128|accessdate=12 January 2017|publisher=The New York Times|date=December 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hollis|first1=Matt|title=District 128’s new rep ready for duty|url=http://baytownsun.com/news/article_d82519d2-d5a8-11e6-938a-435aaddc954b.html|accessdate=12 January 2017|publisher=The Baytown Sun|date=January 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Svitek|first1=Patrick|title=Challenger's Win Over Rep. Wayne Smith Stands After Recount|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2016/06/03/briscoe-cain-victory-stands-after-hd128-recount/|accessdate=12 January 2017|publisher=The Texas Tribune|date=June 3, 2016}}</ref> | |||
==Early life and education== | |||
=Background= | |||
Briscoe grew up in a |
Briscoe grew up in ], a suburb of ] located in ]. At ], he was on the varsity ] squad.<ref>{{cite news |title=Deer Park cheerleaders chosen, prepare for upcoming season |url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Deer-Park-cheerleaders-chosen-prepare-for-9950050.php |access-date=6 November 2020 |work=Houston Chronicle |date=27 May 2002}}</ref> He earned a ] from the ] and a ] from ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://briscoecain.com/meet-briscoe/ |title=Meet Briscoe Cain |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=briscoecain.com |access-date=January 19, 2018 }}</ref> | ||
=Political |
==Political career== | ||
In December 2015, Cain successfully defended the religious rights of ] police officers when the city banned them from having ] during lunch breaks.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Scott|first1=Brandon|title=City changes stance on BPD officers Bible study|url=http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-PD-officers-say-city-nixed-lunch-hour-6707368.php|access-date=August 31, 2017|newspaper=Beaumont Enterprise|date=December 19, 2015}}</ref> In 2016, Cain obtained via a ] invoices sent by a California ] company to four Texas medical schools. From these invoices he claimed the Texas schools were using tax dollars to purchase aborted fetal tissue, since ] was known to give fetuses to the California company. In a statement, ] said that it strictly followed federal and state guidelines.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Curtis|first1=Genevieve|title=Local medical school accused of purchasing fetal tissue from abortions|url=http://cbs4local.com/news/local/local-medical-school-accused-of-purchasing-fetal-tissue-from-abortions|access-date=August 31, 2017|publisher=CBS 4 News|date=January 29, 2016}}</ref> Cain is the Texas legal counsel to ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Pro Life heroes Indicted by Harris County Grand Jury|url=http://briscoecain.com/pro-life-heros-indicted-by-harris-county-grand-jury/|date=January 26, 2016|publisher=Briscoe Cain for State Representative|access-date=December 28, 2017}}</ref> | |||
Briscoe has been a conservative leader since college where he founded the Republican club at UH-D, later founded the first pro-life law student organization in Texas, and was the President of the South Texas chapter of the Federalist Society , a conservative legal organization with notable members like Senator Ted Cruz and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. | |||
A Christian with a record of defending the unborn, religious liberty and traditional marriage, Briscoe served as legal counsel for several individuals in the case in which the Houston mayor subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors . In December of 2015, Briscoe successfully defended the the Religious Rights of Beaumont Police Officers when the City of Beaumont banned them from having Bible Study on their lunch break. | |||
In addition to his First Amendment advocacy in the courts, Briscoe has advised and worked on legislation for several traditional values groups. Notably, Briscoe worked with Rep. Dwayne Bohac on the Merry Christmas Bill and helped to draft HB 1901 with Rep. Matt Krause, a bill that gives due process rights to the unborn. | |||
Briscoe puts his Pro-Life beliefs into action by serving as an attorney for several pro-life organizations. Recently, Briscoe’s advocacy made headline news when he released invoices exposing four Texas Medical Schools for using tax dollars to purchase aborted fetal tissue.<ref>http://briscoecain.com/meet-briscoe/</ref> | |||
===Electoral history=== | |||
In 2017, Cain obtained House passage of an appropriations bill amendment which prohibits elective ] for Texas convicts, including ]s and sex-change operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crtxnews.com/texas-house-refuses-vote-swanson-amendment-no-men-womens-bathrooms/?newsletter_uid=2687&newsletter_date=04%2F08%2F17|title=Texas House Refuses to Vote on Swanson Amendment: "No Men in Women's Bathrooms!"|publisher=crtnews.com|date=April 7, 2016|accessdate=April 8, 2017}}</ref> | |||
In the 2016 Republican ], Cain defeated seven-term incumbent ] by 23 votes. In the 2016 general election, Cain defeated ] candidate Ken Lowder.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/texas-state-house-district-128|title=Texas 128th District State House Results: Briscoe Cain Wins|date=December 13, 2016|newspaper=]|access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://baytownsun.com/news/article_d82519d2-d5a8-11e6-938a-435aaddc954b.html|title=District 128's new rep ready for duty|last1=Hollis|first1=Matt|date=January 8, 2017|access-date=January 12, 2017|publisher=The Baytown Sun}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2016/06/03/briscoe-cain-victory-stands-after-hd128-recount/|title=Challenger's Win Over Rep. Wayne Smith Stands After Recount|last1=Svitek|first1=Patrick|date=June 3, 2016|work=The Texas Tribune|access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> Cain ran unopposed in the Republican ] held on March 6, 2018. On July 5, 2017, Terry Sain of ] announced that he would be running against Cain in the 2018 Republican primary.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baytownsun.com/local/article_60cbc0de-61ee-11e7-9bcf-1f3595fc2217.html|title=Baytown council member to take on Cain|last1=Matt|first1=Hollis|date=July 6, 2017|access-date=December 13, 2017|publisher=The Baytown Sun|quote=Baytown City Councilman Terry Sain launched his campaign Wednesday for the Texas House District 128 seat held by Briscoe Cain. Sain is a 20-year resident of Baytown but has lived in the area since 1975.}}</ref> However, just before the December 11, 2017, deadline to file for a place on the primary ballot, Sain announced that he was no longer going to challenge Cain. Citing the difficulties of running a campaign as a reason he dropped out of the race, Sain told '']'' that running in the campaign "wasn't quite as easy of a road as I thought it was going to be."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baytownsun.com/news/article_ad96db96-deef-11e7-90ca-c3c837324097.html|title=Former Baytown councilman drops state House bid|last1=Matt|first1=Hollis|date=December 12, 2017|access-date=December 13, 2017|publisher=The Baytown Sun|quote=But on Monday, Sain explained that running in the campaign "wasn't quite as easy of a road as I thought it was going to be."}}</ref> | |||
In the November 6, 2018, general election Cain ran unopposed.<ref name="Texas House - District 128">{{cite news|url=https://apps.texastribune.org/elections/2018/texas-midterm-election-results/|title=See the results of the Texas 2018 midterm election here|date=November 6, 2018|work=The Texas Tribune|access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> | |||
=Organizations= | |||
Briscoe serves as In-House Counsel for Students for Life of America; Texas Legal Counsel for Operation Rescue; General Counsel for Save the Storks; and Board Member of Right to Life Advocates, Inc. Briscoe also serves the State of Texas as First Lieutenant in the Texas State Guard. | |||
On November 18, 2019, Robert Hoskins of ] announced he would be running against Cain in the 2020 Republican primary.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fleming |first1=Mark |title=Councilman launches state House bid |url=http://baytownsun.com/news/article_895c9968-0a63-11ea-ae4f-dbba67f6c658.html |access-date=14 February 2020 |publisher=The Baytown Sun |date=19 November 2019 |quote=On Monday, Republican Robert Hoskins announced his candidacy for State Representative District 128, the seat currently held by Briscoe Cain.}}</ref> Hoskins, considered a moderate Republican, is a member of the ] City Council and a former member of the ] board of trustees.<ref name="Houston Chronicle">{{cite news |last1=Scherer |first1=Jasper |title=Cain backed by GOP House colleagues while challenger wins support of local officials |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/houston/article/Cain-backed-by-GOP-House-colleagues-while-15048645.php |access-date=14 February 2020 |publisher=Houston Chronicle |date=12 February 2020 |quote=Councilman Robert Hoskins, who is running as a moderate alternative to the incumbent lawmaker with the backing of nearly every mayor in the east Harris County district}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Scherer |first1=Jasper |title=Cain backed by GOP House colleagues while challenger wins support of local officials |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/houston/article/Cain-backed-by-GOP-House-colleagues-while-15048645.php |access-date=14 February 2020 |publisher=Houston Chronicle |date=12 February 2020}}</ref> The race between Cain and Hoskins was considered to be one of the more high-profile primary contests during the 2020 Texas Republican primary.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pollock |first1=Cassandra |title=Two Texas House Republicans facing fierce competition in their bids for reelection |url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2020/03/04/two-texas-house-republicans-facing-fierce-competition-in-their-bids-for-reelection/ |access-date=9 March 2020 |publisher=Channel 2 KPRC-TV |date=3 March 2020 |quote=Other House incumbents, of course, also faced legitimate primary challenges — and in two of the more high-profile contests, Republican members — Jared Patterson of Frisco and Briscoe Cain of Deer Park — had commanding leads over their opponents.}}</ref> On March 3, 2020, Cain defeated Hoskins in the Republican ], when Cain received 11,752 votes (79.32 percent) to Hoskins' 3,064 votes (20.68 percent).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pollock |first1=Cassandra |title=Three Texas House members are heading for runoffs |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/03/texas-house-results-2020-super-tuesday/ |access-date=9 March 2020 |publisher=The Texas Tribune |date=3 March 2020 |quote=And in two of the more high-profile contests, Republican members Jared Patterson of Frisco and Briscoe Cain of Deer Park won their races handily Tuesday night.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Texas primary 2020 results: Watch live updates here |url=https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2020/primary-election-results/ |access-date=9 March 2020 |publisher=The Texas Tribune |date=3 March 2020}}</ref> Cain defeated ] Mary Williams in the 2020 general election for District 128 representative.<ref>{{cite news |title=Editorial: Mary Williams |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Mary_Williams_(Texas) |access-date=7 May 2021 |publisher=Ballotpedia |date=3 November 2020}}</ref> | |||
Cain ran unopposed in the Republican primary election held on March 1, 2022.<ref name="District 128 Republican Primary">{{cite news|url=https://www.statesman.com/elections/results/2022-03-01/state/texas/|title=2022 Texas Election Results|date=March 1, 2022|work=The Austin American-Statesman|access-date=April 30, 2024}}</ref> In the November 8, 2022, general election Cain defeated Democrat Chuck Crews with 70.5 percent of the vote.<ref name="2022 Texas State House - District 128 Election Results">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/elections/results/race/2022-11-08-state_house-TX-48853/|title=2022 Texas Election Results|date=November 8, 2022|work=USA Today|access-date=April 30, 2024}}</ref> | |||
===Voting record and interest group ratings=== | |||
Since being elected in 2016, Cain has consistently ranked as one of the most conservative members of the Texas House.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Farzan, Antonia Noori |author2=Epstein, Kayla |title='My AR is ready for you,' Texas Republican lawmaker tells Beto O'Rourke over mandatory buybacks |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/09/13/beto-orourke-roscoe-cain-death-threat-twitter/ |access-date=16 January 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=13 September 2019 |quote=First elected to the Texas legislature in 2016, Cain was ranked the most conservative lawmaker in the state's House of Representatives the following year . . .}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Sherer, Jasper |title=In Harris County, Democratic incumbents draw far more primary challengers than Republicans |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/In-Harris-County-Democratic-incumbents-draw-far-14974374.php |access-date=16 January 2020 |publisher=Houston Chronicle |date=14 January 2020 |quote=Still, that primary has not attracted a significant amount of attention, perhaps because Cain — by some measures the most conservative Texas House member . . .}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Taylor, McKenzie |title=Did Your Representative Become More Liberal or Conservative this Session? Here's a List |url=https://thetexan.news/did-your-representative-become-more-liberal-or-conservative-this-session-heres-a-list/ |access-date=16 January 2020 |publisher=The Texan |date=6 June 2019 |quote=For the second session in a row, Jones ranked Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) as the most conservative member of the House.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Wermund, Benjamin |author2=Zelinski, Andrea |title=Texas Republican lawmaker to Beto O'Rourke: 'My AR is ready for you' |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Texas-Republican-lawmaker-to-Beto-O-Rourke-14436558.php |access-date=16 January 2020 |publisher=Houston Chronicle |date=13 September 2019 |quote=Cain ranks as the most conservative member of the Texas House . . .}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Hogue, Andy |title=Stuck In Line At The DMV? Texas's Most-Conservative Legislator To Helm Committee To Reduce Wait Times |url=https://thehayride.com/2019/12/stuck-in-line-at-the-dmv-texass-most-conservative-legislator-to-helm-committee-to-reduce-wait-times/ |access-date=16 January 2020 |publisher=The Hayride |date=20 December 2019 |quote=Cain has the distinction of being the most conservative House member . . .}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Kampis, Johnny |title=Critics say Texas universities don't protect free speech |url=https://texasmonitor.org/critics-say-texas-universities-dont-protect-free-speech/ |access-date=16 January 2020 |publisher=Texas Monitor |date=21 May 2018 |quote=Cain, among the most conservative members of the Legislature . . . |archive-date=January 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116020737/https://texasmonitor.org/critics-say-texas-universities-dont-protect-free-speech/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The annual analysis of Texas legislators' voting records by ]'s ] found Cain to be the most conservative member of the Texas House in 2017,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Mark P.|title=The 2017 Texas House, from left to right|url=https://www.tribtalk.org/2017/06/09/the-2017-texas-house-from-left-to-right/|access-date=August 31, 2017|agency=TribTalk|work=The Texas Tribune|date=June 29, 2017}}</ref> and 2019,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Mark |title=The 2019 Texas House, from right to left |url=https://www.tribtalk.org/2019/06/04/the-2019-texas-house-from-right-to-left/ |access-date=June 20, 2019 |agency=TribTalk |work=Texas Tribune |date=June 4, 2019}}</ref> and the second-most conservative in 2023 (after ]).<Ref name=Jones2023>Mark P. Jones, , ''Texas Tribune'' (June 20, 2023).</ref> | |||
Cain was named one of "The Worst Legislators of 2017" by '']'', describing him as "uninformed and ignorant" and stating "When we asked Capitol insiders for Worst list suggestions, , almost universally, was the first one mentioned".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/the-best-and-worst-legislators-2017/|title=The Best and Worst Legislators 2017|date=June 20, 2017|work=Texas Monthly|access-date=March 21, 2018|language=en-US|quote=When we asked Capitol insiders for Worst list suggestions, his name, almost universally, was the first one mentioned. During one floor debate, when a fellow legislator fell ill with a serious intestinal ailment, Cain objected to the usual procedure of granting the lawmaker an excused absence and called for a record vote. He was the only no vote. But one particular moment, during the budget debate on the House floor, best exemplifies Cain's uninformed and belligerent performance this session.}}</ref> | |||
Cain was named Recipient of ]'s 2021 Pro-Life Person of the Year ] for his work on the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.operationrescue.org/archives/state-rep-briscoe-cain-named-recipient-of-operation-rescues-2021-pro-life-person-of-the-year-malachi-award-for-his-work-on-the-texas-heartbeat-act/|title = State Rep. Briscoe Cain Named Recipient of Operation Rescue's 2021 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award for His Work on the Texas Heartbeat Act|date = December 16, 2021}}</ref> | |||
===Committee assignments=== | |||
* 88th Legislative Session<ref>{{cite web |title=88th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain |url=https://capitol.texas.gov/Members/MemberInfo.aspx?Leg=88&Chamber=H&Code=A3265 |website=Texas Legislature Online |access-date=October 24, 2023 |location=Committee Assignments}}</ref> | |||
** Chairman, Agriculture & Livestock | |||
** Insurance | |||
* 87th Legislative Session<ref>{{cite web |title=87th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain |url=https://capitol.texas.gov/Members/MemberInfo.aspx?Leg=87&Chamber=H&Code=A3265 |website=Texas Legislature Online |access-date=June 22, 2021 |location=Committee Assignments}}</ref> | |||
** Chairman, Elections | |||
** Business & Industry | |||
* 86th Legislative Session<ref>{{cite web |title=86th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain |url=https://capitol.texas.gov/Members/MemberInfo.aspx?Leg=86&Chamber=H&Code=A3265 |website=Texas Legislature Online |access-date=March 12, 2019 |location=Committee Assignments}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.texastribune.org/directory/briscoe-cain/|title = Briscoe Cain, Texas Representative: Email and phone. Salary, biographical details and latest news}}</ref> | |||
** Chairman, Select Committee on Driver's License Issuance & Renewal | |||
** Elections | |||
** International Relations & Economic Development | |||
** Resolutions Calendars | |||
* 85th Legislative Session<ref>{{cite web |title=85th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain |url=https://capitol.texas.gov/Members/MemberInfo.aspx?Leg=85&Chamber=H&Code=A3265 |website=Texas Legislature Online |access-date=March 12, 2019 |location=Committee Assignments}}</ref> | |||
** Defense & Veterans' Affairs | |||
** Juvenile Justice & Family Issues | |||
==Political positions== | |||
===Abortion=== | |||
Cain is ardently anti-abortion and authored an early version of Texas's six-week abortion ban, also known as the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Texas Legislature Online – 86 History for HB 1500 |url=https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB1500 |publisher=Texas Legislature |access-date=February 9, 2019 |archive-date=February 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209180058/https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB1500 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Cain has also targeted ]s in Texas and threatened them with criminal prosecution for their violations of Texas's pre–'']'' abortion statutes.<ref name="Littlefield">{{cite web |last1=Littlefield |first1=Amy |date=April 5, 2022 |title=Mastermind of the Texas 'Heartbeat' Statute Has a Radical Mission to Reshape American Law |url=https://revealnews.org/article/jonathan-mitchell-texas-abortion-law|access-date=June 18, 2022 |work=Reveal}}</ref><ref name = "BriscoeArticle">{{cite web | url = https://news4sanantonio.com/newsletter-daily/abortion-funds-under-fire-and-could-face-strict-new-laws-during-2023-session| title = Abortion funds under fire and could face strict new laws during 2023 session | first1 = Matt | last1 = Roy | date= May 10, 2022| access-date = June 15, 2022| work = news4sanantonio.com}}</ref> On March 18, 2022, Cain sent cease-and-desist letters to every abortion fund in Texas, demanding that they immediately stop paying for abortions performed in Texas or face criminal prosecution.<ref name = "BriscoeTweetPhoto">{{cite web | url = https://twitter.com/BriscoeCain/status/1504891954475290624/photo/1| first1 = Briscoe | last1 = Cain | date= March 18, 2022| title = State Representative Briscoe Cain Sends Cease-And-Desist Letters to Abortion Funds in Texas | access-date = June 15, 2022| work = twitter.com}}</ref> Abortion funds in Texas have refused to halt their activities in response to Cain's letter, and Cain has promised to introduce legislation that will ensure that Texas abortion funds and their donors are prosecuted for each abortion that they have assisted or paid for in the state of Texas.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.texastribune.org/2022/03/29/abortion-funds-defamation-briscoe-cain/| title = Abortion nonprofits say Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain defamed them in "cease-and-desist" letter | first1 = Eleanor | last1 = Klibanoff | date= March 29, 2022| access-date = June 15, 2022| work = texastribune.com}}</ref> | |||
===COVID-19 pandemic=== | |||
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cain defied Governor ]'s closure of businesses by getting a haircut.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Goldenstein|first=Taylor|date=2020-05-05|title=Texas Republican lawmakers Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth get haircuts, defying Abbott's order|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Texas-Republican-lawmakers-Briscoe-Cain-and-Steve-15248141.php|access-date=2020-11-02|website=HoustonChronicle.com|language=en-US}}</ref> Cain also served as an attorney for ], the Dallas Salon owner who was jailed for opening her hair salon in violation of an order related to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="Texas Tribune">{{cite news |last1=Pollock |first1=Cassandra |title= Dallas salon owner released from county jail after defying orders by reopening early |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/05/07/texas-dallas-salon-owner-coronavirus/ |access-date=14 November 2024 |publisher= Texas Tribune |date=7 May 2020 |quote= After Luther was jailed this week, her attorneys — who include state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, and Warren Norred, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee — asked the state’s highest civil court, which consists of all Republicans, on Wednesday to immediately order her release.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lindell |first1=Chuck |title= Texas Supreme Court tosses Shelley Luther's contempt finding for refusing to close salon |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/04/09/texas-supreme-court-tosses-salon-owner-shelley-luther-contempt-finding/7155923002/ |access-date=14 November 2024 |publisher=Austin American-Statesman |date=9 April 2020}}</ref> | |||
===Immigration=== | |||
Cain is an outspoken supporter of the enforcement of immigration laws (particularly in relation to the ]).<ref name="Houston Chronicle"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Two-Texas-lawmakers-call-for-2-5B-in-state-funds-13611042.php|title=Two Texas lawmakers call for $2.5B in state funds for border wall|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref> His campaign website states that he believes "that increased border security is critical for increasing job opportunities for Americans and decreasing crime and taxes on Texas families".<ref name="Issues">{{cite web|url=https://briscoecain.com/issues/|title=Issues|publisher=briscoecain.com|access-date=September 28, 2020}}</ref> | |||
===Christianity=== | |||
Briscoe, a ] Christian, cited his faith as his biggest source of inspiration in life as part of a 2017 interview with ].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://news.uhd.edu/gators-in-the-capitol-briscoe-cain-and-mary-ann-perez/|title=Gators in the Capitol: Briscoe Cain and Mary Ann Perez|publisher=news.uhd.edu|access-date=September 28, 2020}}</ref> Cain has additionally gone on record to state, "Yes I mix religion and politics."<ref>{{cite tweet |user= BriscoeCain |number= 387391722520444928 |date= 7 October 2013 |title= Yes I mix religion and politics.}}</ref> He has pledged as part of his 2020 campaign platform to protect the "guarantee of religious liberty", as well as "ensure that traditional Christian values are restored and strengthened."<ref name="Issues"/> | |||
===Voting rights=== | |||
Briscoe Cain assisted ]'s ] following his re-election loss by using baseless claims of voter fraud.<ref name = TexasTribuneFeb2021>{{cite web |last1=Ura |first1=Alexa |title=Republican who helped Trump campaign challenge Joe Biden's win will lead election work in Texas House |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/04/briscoe-cain-texas-house-election/ |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en |date=2021-02-04}}</ref> In February 2021, Republican ] Speaker ] appointed Cain as the chair of the Texas House Elections Committee.<ref name = TexasTribuneFeb2021/> The following bills that Cain co-sponsored were accused by ] and Voting and Civil Rights groups as ].<ref>Multiple sources: | |||
*{{cite web |last1=Ura |first1=Alexa |title=Texas GOP's voting restrictions bill could be rewritten behind closed doors after final House passage |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/07/texas-voting-restrictions/ |publisher=The Texas Tribune |language=en |date=2021-05-07|quote=But both the original SB 7 and the original provisions of HB 6 were opposed by civil rights groups who raised the prospect that the legislation violates federal safeguards for voters of color. Republicans' efforts to further restrict voting in the state come as their presidential margins of victory continue to thin and Democrats drive up their votes in diverse urban centers and growing suburban communities.}} | |||
*{{cite web |last1=Ura |first1=Alexa |title=Texas Republicans begin pursuing new voting restrictions as they work to protect their hold on power |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/22/texas-republicans-voting-restrictions/ |publisher=The Texas Tribune |language=en |date=2021-03-22 |quote=Senate Bill 7 is part of a broader package of proposals to constrain local initiatives widening voter access in urban areas, made up largely by people of color, that favor Democrats.}} | |||
*{{cite web |title=New GOP-led voting restrictions move forward in Texas |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-voting-laws-republicans/ |publisher=CBS News/AP |date=1 April 2021 |quote=The bill is one of two major voting packages in Texas that mirrors a nationwide campaign by Republicans after former President Donald Trump made false claims about election fraud. Voting rights groups say the measures would disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minority voters.}} | |||
*{{cite web |last1=Wines |first1=Michael |title=Texas lawmakers advance a bill that would make voting more difficult, drawing comparisons to Georgia. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/us/texas-voting-restrictions.html |work=The New York Times |date=2021-04-01 |quote=Critics of the Senate bill said most of its provisions were less about making voting secure than about making it harder, particularly for urban voters and minority voters, two groups that tend to vote for Democrats.}} | |||
*{{cite web |last1=Barragán |first1=James |title=In overnight vote, Texas Senate passes bill that would make it harder to vote |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/04/01/texas-senate-on-track-to-pass-bill-that-would-make-it-harder-to-vote/ |publisher=Dallas Morning News |language=en |date=2021-04-01 |quote= said many of the bill's provisions would disproportionately affect voters of color. The extended voting hours in Harris County, for example, were mostly used by voters of color. Fifty-six percent of voters who cast ballots in late night hours were Black, Hispanic or Asian, according to the Texas Civil Rights Project.}} | |||
*{{cite web |last1=Coronado |first1=Acacia |title=EXPLAINER: How Texas Republicans aim to make voting harder |url=https://apnews.com/article/tx-state-wire-donald-trump-texas-senate-elections-voting-ef82918d28024d7abe09277c4c2534fe |publisher=Associated Press |date=2021-05-30 |quote=Advocates say the changes would disproportionately affect minorities and people with disabilities.}} | |||
*{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Amy |title=How the new Texas voting bill would create hurdles for voters of color |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/30/texas-voting-law/ |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en |date=2021-05-30 |quote=While Senate Bill 7 would have wide-ranging effects on voters across the state, it includes specific language that critics say would disproportionately affect people of color — particularly those who live in under-resourced and urban communities.}} | |||
*{{cite web |author1=Jasper Scherer |author2=Zach Despart |title=GOP bills target Harris County's efforts to expand voting. Here's how that played out in the 2020 election |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/GOP-bills-target-Harris-County-s-efforts-to-16143213.php |publisher=Houston Chronicle |date=1 May 2021 |quote=Voting rights experts say the bills — which include measures that would apply only to the state's most populous counties, all of which are predominantly nonwhite — would discriminate against voters of color.}} | |||
*{{cite web |author1=Nick Corasaniti |title=Republicans Target Voter Access in Texas Cities, but Not Rural Areas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/us/politics/texas-republicans-voting.html |work=New York Times |date=24 April 2021 |quote=The Republican focus on diverse urban areas, voting activists say, evokes the state's history of racially discriminatory voting laws — including poll taxes and "white primary" laws during the Jim Crow era — that essentially excluded Black voters from the electoral process. Most of Harris County's early voters were white, according to a study by the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit group. But the majority of those who used drive-through or 24-hour voting — the early voting methods the Republican bills would prohibit — were people of color, the group found.}} | |||
*{{cite web |author1=Paul J. Weber |title=Houston's expanded voting becomes target of GOP restrictions |url=https://www.chron.com/politics/article/Houston-expanded-voting-becomes-GOP-target-16104581.php |date=15 April 2021 |quote=The effort is one of the clearest examples of how the GOP's nationwide campaign to tighten voting laws can target Democrats, even as they insist the measures are not partisan. With Americans increasingly sorted into liberal urban areas and conservative rural ones, geography can be an effective proxy for partisanship. Proposals tailored to cities or that take population into account are bound to have a greater impact on Democratic voters.; The county exemplifies the GOP's slipping grip on fast-changing Texas. In 2004, former President George W. Bush, who is from Texas, easily won Harris County and Republicans ran every major countywide office. But recent years have been routs for Democrats, whose wins now extend down the ballot to local judicial races.}}</ref> Cain defended the proposed restrictions as necessary to maintain the "purity of the ballot box".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Montgomery |first1=Dave |last2=Corasaniti |first2=Nick |title=Exchange Over 'Purity' of Vote Puts Texas G.O.P. Firebrand in Spotlight |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/us/politics/briscoe-cain-texas-voting-laws.html |website=The New York Times |date=2021-05-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Knowles |first1=Hannah |title=A Texas bill drew ire for saying it would preserve 'purity of the ballot box.' Here's the phrase's history. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/05/09/texas-purity-ballot-box-black/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=29 May 2021 |date=9 May 2021| quote=The word "purity" has a long and racist legacy in the South, historians said. "Purity of the ballot box" is more obscure — several scholars said they were not aware of it being used for discrimination, and it was enshrined in the Texas Constitution of 1876, which did not bar Black people from voting. To others, though, it conjures century-old justifications for excluding Black voters and rules that have disproportionately kept minorities from casting ballots.}}</ref> After some business in Texas opposed the legislation, Cain proposed financial penalties to any business protesting the new proposed voter restrictions.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Amy |title=Texas Republicans finalize bill that would enact stiff new voting rules that made it easier to overturn election results |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/texas-voting-restrictions/2021/05/29/86923248-be25-11eb-9c90-731aff7d9a0d_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=29 May 2021 |quote=Cain, the chief House sponsor of one of the voting bills this year, proposed financial penalties against entities that publicly threaten "any adverse action against this state" in protest of election legislation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Amy |title=As the voting-rights fight moves to Texas, defiant Republicans test the resolve of corporations that oppose restrictions |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/texas-voting-restrictions-gop-corporations/2021/04/21/a2746b8c-a1e4-11eb-a774-7b47ceb36ee8_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=22 April 2021 |quote=And on Wednesday, state Rep. Briscoe Cain (R), the chief sponsor of one of the voting bills, proposed financial penalties against entities that publicly threaten "any adverse action against this state" in protest against election legislation.}}</ref> | |||
After the legislation had been implemented, mail-in ballots were rejected at record numbers for not filling out forms correctly as specified by the new regulations.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Texas counties reject unprecedented numbers of mail ballots ahead of March 1 primary under restrictive new law|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/11/texas-voting-law-ballots-rejected-poll-watchers/|access-date=2022-02-14|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> | |||
===Other positions=== | |||
Cain supports a ban on Democrats being given committee chairmanships as long as the Republicans hold the majority of seats in the Texas House.<ref>Johnson, Brad. , ''The Texan'', December 9, 2022.</ref> | |||
==Controversies== | |||
===Texas Southern University protest=== | |||
On October 10, 2017, protesters at ] (TSU) prevented Cain from speaking at a ] event on campus.<ref name=khou>{{cite news|title=Protesters at TSU prevent state representative's speech|url=http://www.khou.com/mobile/article/news/local/protesters-at-tsu-prevent-state-representatives-speech/482077758|access-date=October 10, 2017|publisher= KHOU11news|date=October 10, 2017}}</ref> Cain was invited by the president of TSU's Federalist Society student chapter to speak to students at the traditionally black university. He planned to talk about the Texas Legislature's most recent special session. During that session Cain proposed an amendment to a budget bill which would prevent the state of Texas from paying for sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy for inmates in prison, and he voted in favor of a proposed "]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2017/04/03/house-budget-amendments-seek-ignite-controversial-topics/ |title=House budget amendments seek to ignite controversial topics |work=The Texas Tribune |date=April 3, 2017 |access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> Protesters claimed that Cain "has ties to the ] and is anti-]" and drowned out Cain's attempts to speak. They were removed; as Cain began to speak again the school's president ordered the protesters be brought back in and canceled the event, saying the Federalist Society chapter was an unregistered student group and the event was "unapproved".<ref name=khou/><ref>{{cite web|title=Protesters Force Cancellation Of Speech By State Representative At Federalist Society Event At Thurgood Marshall Law School|url=http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2017/10/protesters-force-cancellation-of-speech-by-state-representative-at-federalist-society-event-at-thurg.html|author=Caron, Paul L.|date=October 10, 2017|publisher=TaxProf Blog|access-date=December 29, 2017}} The Federalist Society chapter president said that while the Society is a law school organization under the Student Bar Association, it was not registered with the main campus's student government association, but that he would register it if asked to. ''Dallas Morning News''</ref> Cain said in a statement that the talk had been scheduled for months, and that he was "brought into a room in which the administration had specifically requested the talk occur. Then ] came in and bullied the administration into ending the event."<ref name=khou/> James Douglas, the interim dean of TSU's ], said the event had been cleared with him and that he was investigating the incident. He said, "We have a process here in the law school, and they went through our process. The speaker had a ] right to be heard by the students that invited him." A student who had helped organize the protest said that "ith his First Amendment right to espouse hate comes our First Amendment right" to protest.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/higher-education/2017/10/10/texas-southern-violate-lawmakers-right-free-speech-law-school-dean-thinks |title='Racist' vs. 'thuggish': Canceled GOP speech at Houston HBCU turns into war of words | Higher Education |newspaper=Dallas News |access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref><ref name=atlaw/><ref name=khou/> Cain, a partner at a law firm where he practices First Amendment law, said he intended to sue the school and its president for infringing upon his First Amendment rights.<ref name=atlaw>{{cite web|title=At Law Schools, Rowdy Protests Provide Teachable Moments|url=https://www.law.com/ctlawtribune/almID/1202800951406/|author=Morris, Angela|date=October 20, 2017|publisher=]|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> | |||
===Stephen Hawking tweet=== | |||
On March 14, 2018, Cain tweeted about the death of prominent physicist ]. In his tweet, he stated "Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made. My condolences to his family." The tweet was largely perceived to be insensitive and was criticized by legislators on both sides of the aisle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/03/15/texas-state-rep-cain-stephen-hawking-death-comment/23386983/ |title=Texas State Rep. Cain: 'Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made' - AOL News |date=March 15, 2018 |publisher=Aol.com |access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> | |||
===Texas Democratic Convention prank=== | |||
On June 22, 2018, Cain and three other men snuck into the ] state convention being held at the ] in ], where Cain and three other men handed out 100 yard signs which read, "This home is a gun-free safe space" to convention attendees.<ref name="Fort Worth Star-Telegram">{{cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Bud |title='I think it's funny': Republican prankster booted from Texas Democratic convention |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/bud-kennedy/article213697829.html |access-date=10 March 2020 |publisher=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=22 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hancock |first1=Jamie |last2=Milburn |first2=Forrest |title=Republicans prank Texas Democrats with 'gun-free safe space' signs at their convention |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2018/06/23/republicans-prank-texas-democrats-with-gun-free-safe-space-signs-at-their-convention/ |access-date=10 March 2020 |publisher=The Dallas Morning News |date=23 June 2018}}</ref> Eventually, convention goers recognized who Cain was, and he and the others involved were forced to leave.<ref name="The Houston Chronicle">{{cite news |last1=Zelinski |first1=Andrea |title=Republicans prank, troll Democrats at state convention |url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Republicans-prank-troll-Democrats-at-state-13020400.php |access-date=10 March 2020 |publisher=The Houston Chronicle |date=23 June 2018}}</ref> When asked about the stunt, Cain said he distributed the signs as "irony" and stated, "It's amazing how many people took one and thanked us. They said they would put it in front of their house. I think it's funny. Nobody should put this in front of their house."<ref name="The Houston Chronicle"/><ref name="Fort Worth Star-Telegram"/> | |||
===Threats against Beto O'Rourke=== | |||
In September 2019, Cain threatened Beto O'Rourke after O'Rourke called for gun control measures. Cain said, "My AR is ready for you Robert Francis ."<ref name="The Hill">{{cite news |last1=Gstalter |first1=Morgan |title=Twitter takes down Texas GOP lawmaker's AR tweet about O'Rourke |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/461267-twitter-takes-down-texas-gop-lawmakers-ar-tweet-about-orourke |access-date=September 13, 2019 |work=The Hill |date=September 13, 2019}}</ref> O'Rourke labeled the tweet a "death threat", and replied to Cain with a tweet reading, "Clearly, you shouldn't own an ] — and neither should anyone else". Cain responded with a tweet, "You're a child Robert Francis."<ref name="Austin American-Statesman">{{cite news |last1=Cobler |first1=Nicole |title=After Twitter suspension, Briscoe Cain shares offending post again |url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20200131/after-twitter-suspension-briscoe-cain-shares-offending-post-again |access-date=10 March 2020 |publisher=Austin American-Statesman |date=31 January 2020}}</ref> | |||
Twitter gave Cain 12 hours to remove the post. After he did not, the company removed Cain's "My AR is ready for you" tweet, saying it was against the site's policy against violent threats.<ref name="The Hill"/><ref name="Austin American-Statesman"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Abrahams |first1=Tom |title=Texas lawmaker on 'AR' tweet to Beto: It was not a threat |url=https://abc13.com/politics/texas-lawmaker-on-ar-tweet-to-beto-it-was-not-a-threat/5537875/ |access-date=10 March 2020 |publisher=ABC 13 |date=14 September 2019}}</ref> Cain was suspended from Twitter for 141 days. | |||
On January 31, 2020, the day the ] company lifted its suspension of Cain's Twitter account, Cain tweeted a ] of the interaction between him and O'Rourke writing, "But seriously @twitter, y'all banned me for this."<ref name="Austin American-Statesman"/> | |||
==Personal life== | |||
Cain is married with five children, all boys and all named for Texas counties.<ref>{{cite web |title=Power Players: Rep. Briscoe Cain |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2021/03/06/power-players--rep--briscoe-cain-/ |access-date=6 March 2021}}</ref> He is a nondenominational Christian.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
On April 25, 2019, during a Texas House session to recognize ], he stated that he has been diagnosed with ], and struggles maintaining eye contact as a result.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McGaughy |first1=Lauren |title=Texas lawmaker reveals he has Asperger's during Autism Awareness Month speech |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/04/25/texas-lawmaker-reveals-he-has-asperger-s-during-autism-awareness-month-speech/ |access-date=14 September 2019 |publisher=Dallas Morning News |date=April 25, 2019}}</ref> | |||
He serves with the rank of captain in the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.expressnews.com/news/news_columnists/peggy_fikac/article/State-lawmakers-on-the-front-lines-of-Harvey-12186112.php |title=State lawmakers on the front lines of Harvey response |last=Fikac |first=Peggy |date=September 10, 2017 |newspaper=] |access-date=January 19, 2018 }}</ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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Latest revision as of 20:10, 11 December 2024
American politician
Briscoe Cain | |
---|---|
Cain in 2017 | |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 128th district | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 10, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Wayne Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | (1984-12-09) December 9, 1984 (age 40) Webster, Texas, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Children | 5 |
Residence(s) | Deer Park, Texas, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Houston-Downtown (BA) South Texas College of Law (JD) |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Website | www |
Briscoe Cain (born December 9, 1984) is an American attorney and Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 128.
Early life and education
Briscoe grew up in Deer Park, Texas, a suburb of Houston located in Harris County. At Deer Park High School, he was on the varsity cheerleading squad. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston-Downtown and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law.
Political career
In December 2015, Cain successfully defended the religious rights of Beaumont police officers when the city banned them from having Bible study during lunch breaks. In 2016, Cain obtained via a FOIA request invoices sent by a California bioscience company to four Texas medical schools. From these invoices he claimed the Texas schools were using tax dollars to purchase aborted fetal tissue, since Planned Parenthood was known to give fetuses to the California company. In a statement, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso said that it strictly followed federal and state guidelines. Cain is the Texas legal counsel to Operation Rescue.
Electoral history
In the 2016 Republican runoff election, Cain defeated seven-term incumbent Wayne Smith by 23 votes. In the 2016 general election, Cain defeated Libertarian candidate Ken Lowder. Cain ran unopposed in the Republican primary election held on March 6, 2018. On July 5, 2017, Terry Sain of Baytown, Texas announced that he would be running against Cain in the 2018 Republican primary. However, just before the December 11, 2017, deadline to file for a place on the primary ballot, Sain announced that he was no longer going to challenge Cain. Citing the difficulties of running a campaign as a reason he dropped out of the race, Sain told The Baytown Sun that running in the campaign "wasn't quite as easy of a road as I thought it was going to be."
In the November 6, 2018, general election Cain ran unopposed.
On November 18, 2019, Robert Hoskins of Baytown, Texas announced he would be running against Cain in the 2020 Republican primary. Hoskins, considered a moderate Republican, is a member of the Baytown City Council and a former member of the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District board of trustees. The race between Cain and Hoskins was considered to be one of the more high-profile primary contests during the 2020 Texas Republican primary. On March 3, 2020, Cain defeated Hoskins in the Republican primary election, when Cain received 11,752 votes (79.32 percent) to Hoskins' 3,064 votes (20.68 percent). Cain defeated Democrat Mary Williams in the 2020 general election for District 128 representative.
Cain ran unopposed in the Republican primary election held on March 1, 2022. In the November 8, 2022, general election Cain defeated Democrat Chuck Crews with 70.5 percent of the vote.
Voting record and interest group ratings
Since being elected in 2016, Cain has consistently ranked as one of the most conservative members of the Texas House. The annual analysis of Texas legislators' voting records by Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy found Cain to be the most conservative member of the Texas House in 2017, and 2019, and the second-most conservative in 2023 (after Jared Patterson).
Cain was named one of "The Worst Legislators of 2017" by Texas Monthly, describing him as "uninformed and ignorant" and stating "When we asked Capitol insiders for Worst list suggestions, , almost universally, was the first one mentioned".
Cain was named Recipient of Operation Rescue's 2021 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award for his work on the Texas Heartbeat Act.
Committee assignments
- 88th Legislative Session
- Chairman, Agriculture & Livestock
- Insurance
- 87th Legislative Session
- Chairman, Elections
- Business & Industry
- 86th Legislative Session
- Chairman, Select Committee on Driver's License Issuance & Renewal
- Elections
- International Relations & Economic Development
- Resolutions Calendars
- 85th Legislative Session
- Defense & Veterans' Affairs
- Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
Political positions
Abortion
Cain is ardently anti-abortion and authored an early version of Texas's six-week abortion ban, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act.
Cain has also targeted abortion funds in Texas and threatened them with criminal prosecution for their violations of Texas's pre–Roe v. Wade abortion statutes. On March 18, 2022, Cain sent cease-and-desist letters to every abortion fund in Texas, demanding that they immediately stop paying for abortions performed in Texas or face criminal prosecution. Abortion funds in Texas have refused to halt their activities in response to Cain's letter, and Cain has promised to introduce legislation that will ensure that Texas abortion funds and their donors are prosecuted for each abortion that they have assisted or paid for in the state of Texas.
COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cain defied Governor Greg Abbott's closure of businesses by getting a haircut. Cain also served as an attorney for Shelley Luther, the Dallas Salon owner who was jailed for opening her hair salon in violation of an order related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immigration
Cain is an outspoken supporter of the enforcement of immigration laws (particularly in relation to the U.S-Mexico border). His campaign website states that he believes "that increased border security is critical for increasing job opportunities for Americans and decreasing crime and taxes on Texas families".
Christianity
Briscoe, a non-denominational Christian, cited his faith as his biggest source of inspiration in life as part of a 2017 interview with UHD News. Cain has additionally gone on record to state, "Yes I mix religion and politics." He has pledged as part of his 2020 campaign platform to protect the "guarantee of religious liberty", as well as "ensure that traditional Christian values are restored and strengthened."
Voting rights
Briscoe Cain assisted President Trump's attempts to overturn the election results of 2020 United States presidential election following his re-election loss by using baseless claims of voter fraud. In February 2021, Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan appointed Cain as the chair of the Texas House Elections Committee. The following bills that Cain co-sponsored were accused by Democrats and Voting and Civil Rights groups as restricting voting access. Cain defended the proposed restrictions as necessary to maintain the "purity of the ballot box". After some business in Texas opposed the legislation, Cain proposed financial penalties to any business protesting the new proposed voter restrictions.
After the legislation had been implemented, mail-in ballots were rejected at record numbers for not filling out forms correctly as specified by the new regulations.
Other positions
Cain supports a ban on Democrats being given committee chairmanships as long as the Republicans hold the majority of seats in the Texas House.
Controversies
Texas Southern University protest
On October 10, 2017, protesters at Texas Southern University (TSU) prevented Cain from speaking at a Federalist Society event on campus. Cain was invited by the president of TSU's Federalist Society student chapter to speak to students at the traditionally black university. He planned to talk about the Texas Legislature's most recent special session. During that session Cain proposed an amendment to a budget bill which would prevent the state of Texas from paying for sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy for inmates in prison, and he voted in favor of a proposed "bathroom bill". Protesters claimed that Cain "has ties to the Alt-Right and is anti-LGBT" and drowned out Cain's attempts to speak. They were removed; as Cain began to speak again the school's president ordered the protesters be brought back in and canceled the event, saying the Federalist Society chapter was an unregistered student group and the event was "unapproved". Cain said in a statement that the talk had been scheduled for months, and that he was "brought into a room in which the administration had specifically requested the talk occur. Then Black Lives Matter came in and bullied the administration into ending the event." James Douglas, the interim dean of TSU's Thurgood Marshall School of Law, said the event had been cleared with him and that he was investigating the incident. He said, "We have a process here in the law school, and they went through our process. The speaker had a First Amendment right to be heard by the students that invited him." A student who had helped organize the protest said that "ith his First Amendment right to espouse hate comes our First Amendment right" to protest. Cain, a partner at a law firm where he practices First Amendment law, said he intended to sue the school and its president for infringing upon his First Amendment rights.
Stephen Hawking tweet
On March 14, 2018, Cain tweeted about the death of prominent physicist Stephen Hawking. In his tweet, he stated "Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made. My condolences to his family." The tweet was largely perceived to be insensitive and was criticized by legislators on both sides of the aisle.
Texas Democratic Convention prank
On June 22, 2018, Cain and three other men snuck into the Texas Democratic Party's state convention being held at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, where Cain and three other men handed out 100 yard signs which read, "This home is a gun-free safe space" to convention attendees. Eventually, convention goers recognized who Cain was, and he and the others involved were forced to leave. When asked about the stunt, Cain said he distributed the signs as "irony" and stated, "It's amazing how many people took one and thanked us. They said they would put it in front of their house. I think it's funny. Nobody should put this in front of their house."
Threats against Beto O'Rourke
In September 2019, Cain threatened Beto O'Rourke after O'Rourke called for gun control measures. Cain said, "My AR is ready for you Robert Francis ." O'Rourke labeled the tweet a "death threat", and replied to Cain with a tweet reading, "Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15 — and neither should anyone else". Cain responded with a tweet, "You're a child Robert Francis."
Twitter gave Cain 12 hours to remove the post. After he did not, the company removed Cain's "My AR is ready for you" tweet, saying it was against the site's policy against violent threats. Cain was suspended from Twitter for 141 days.
On January 31, 2020, the day the social media company lifted its suspension of Cain's Twitter account, Cain tweeted a screenshot of the interaction between him and O'Rourke writing, "But seriously @twitter, y'all banned me for this."
Personal life
Cain is married with five children, all boys and all named for Texas counties. He is a nondenominational Christian.
On April 25, 2019, during a Texas House session to recognize Autism Awareness Month, he stated that he has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, and struggles maintaining eye contact as a result.
He serves with the rank of captain in the Texas State Guard.
References
- "Rep. Briscoe Cain". txdirectory.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- "Deer Park cheerleaders chosen, prepare for upcoming season". Houston Chronicle. May 27, 2002. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- "Meet Briscoe Cain". briscoecain.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- Scott, Brandon (December 19, 2015). "City changes stance on BPD officers Bible study". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- Curtis, Genevieve (January 29, 2016). "Local medical school accused of purchasing fetal tissue from abortions". CBS 4 News. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- "Pro Life heroes Indicted by Harris County Grand Jury". Briscoe Cain for State Representative. January 26, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- "Texas 128th District State House Results: Briscoe Cain Wins". The New York Times. December 13, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- Hollis, Matt (January 8, 2017). "District 128's new rep ready for duty". The Baytown Sun. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- Svitek, Patrick (June 3, 2016). "Challenger's Win Over Rep. Wayne Smith Stands After Recount". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- Matt, Hollis (July 6, 2017). "Baytown council member to take on Cain". The Baytown Sun. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
Baytown City Councilman Terry Sain launched his campaign Wednesday for the Texas House District 128 seat held by Briscoe Cain. Sain is a 20-year resident of Baytown but has lived in the area since 1975.
- Matt, Hollis (December 12, 2017). "Former Baytown councilman drops state House bid". The Baytown Sun. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
But on Monday, Sain explained that running in the campaign "wasn't quite as easy of a road as I thought it was going to be."
- "See the results of the Texas 2018 midterm election here". The Texas Tribune. November 6, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- Fleming, Mark (November 19, 2019). "Councilman launches state House bid". The Baytown Sun. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
On Monday, Republican Robert Hoskins announced his candidacy for State Representative District 128, the seat currently held by Briscoe Cain.
- ^ Scherer, Jasper (February 12, 2020). "Cain backed by GOP House colleagues while challenger wins support of local officials". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
Councilman Robert Hoskins, who is running as a moderate alternative to the incumbent lawmaker with the backing of nearly every mayor in the east Harris County district
- Scherer, Jasper (February 12, 2020). "Cain backed by GOP House colleagues while challenger wins support of local officials". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- Pollock, Cassandra (March 3, 2020). "Two Texas House Republicans facing fierce competition in their bids for reelection". Channel 2 KPRC-TV. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
Other House incumbents, of course, also faced legitimate primary challenges — and in two of the more high-profile contests, Republican members — Jared Patterson of Frisco and Briscoe Cain of Deer Park — had commanding leads over their opponents.
- Pollock, Cassandra (March 3, 2020). "Three Texas House members are heading for runoffs". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
And in two of the more high-profile contests, Republican members Jared Patterson of Frisco and Briscoe Cain of Deer Park won their races handily Tuesday night.
- "Texas primary 2020 results: Watch live updates here". The Texas Tribune. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- "Editorial: Mary Williams". Ballotpedia. November 3, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- "2022 Texas Election Results". The Austin American-Statesman. March 1, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- "2022 Texas Election Results". USA Today. November 8, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- Farzan, Antonia Noori; Epstein, Kayla (September 13, 2019). "'My AR is ready for you,' Texas Republican lawmaker tells Beto O'Rourke over mandatory buybacks". Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
First elected to the Texas legislature in 2016, Cain was ranked the most conservative lawmaker in the state's House of Representatives the following year . . .
- Sherer, Jasper (January 14, 2020). "In Harris County, Democratic incumbents draw far more primary challengers than Republicans". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
Still, that primary has not attracted a significant amount of attention, perhaps because Cain — by some measures the most conservative Texas House member . . .
- Taylor, McKenzie (June 6, 2019). "Did Your Representative Become More Liberal or Conservative this Session? Here's a List". The Texan. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
For the second session in a row, Jones ranked Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) as the most conservative member of the House.
- Wermund, Benjamin; Zelinski, Andrea (September 13, 2019). "Texas Republican lawmaker to Beto O'Rourke: 'My AR is ready for you'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
Cain ranks as the most conservative member of the Texas House . . .
- Hogue, Andy (December 20, 2019). "Stuck In Line At The DMV? Texas's Most-Conservative Legislator To Helm Committee To Reduce Wait Times". The Hayride. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
Cain has the distinction of being the most conservative House member . . .
- Kampis, Johnny (May 21, 2018). "Critics say Texas universities don't protect free speech". Texas Monitor. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
Cain, among the most conservative members of the Legislature . . .
- Jones, Mark P. (June 29, 2017). "The 2017 Texas House, from left to right". The Texas Tribune. TribTalk. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- Jones, Mark (June 4, 2019). "The 2019 Texas House, from right to left". Texas Tribune. TribTalk. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- Mark P. Jones, Analysis: The 2023 Texas House, from right to left, Texas Tribune (June 20, 2023).
- "The Best and Worst Legislators 2017". Texas Monthly. June 20, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
When we asked Capitol insiders for Worst list suggestions, his name, almost universally, was the first one mentioned. During one floor debate, when a fellow legislator fell ill with a serious intestinal ailment, Cain objected to the usual procedure of granting the lawmaker an excused absence and called for a record vote. He was the only no vote. But one particular moment, during the budget debate on the House floor, best exemplifies Cain's uninformed and belligerent performance this session.
- "State Rep. Briscoe Cain Named Recipient of Operation Rescue's 2021 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award for His Work on the Texas Heartbeat Act". December 16, 2021.
- "88th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain". Texas Legislature Online. Committee Assignments. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- "87th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain". Texas Legislature Online. Committee Assignments. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- "86th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain". Texas Legislature Online. Committee Assignments. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- "Briscoe Cain, Texas Representative: Email and phone. Salary, biographical details and latest news".
- "85th Legislature Regular Session - Committee Assignments - Rep. Briscoe Cain". Texas Legislature Online. Committee Assignments. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- "Texas Legislature Online – 86 History for HB 1500". Texas Legislature. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- Littlefield, Amy (April 5, 2022). "Mastermind of the Texas 'Heartbeat' Statute Has a Radical Mission to Reshape American Law". Reveal. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- Roy, Matt (May 10, 2022). "Abortion funds under fire and could face strict new laws during 2023 session". news4sanantonio.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- Cain, Briscoe (March 18, 2022). "State Representative Briscoe Cain Sends Cease-And-Desist Letters to Abortion Funds in Texas". twitter.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- Klibanoff, Eleanor (March 29, 2022). "Abortion nonprofits say Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain defamed them in "cease-and-desist" letter". texastribune.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- Goldenstein, Taylor (May 5, 2020). "Texas Republican lawmakers Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth get haircuts, defying Abbott's order". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- Pollock, Cassandra (May 7, 2020). "Dallas salon owner released from county jail after defying orders by reopening early". Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
After Luther was jailed this week, her attorneys — who include state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, and Warren Norred, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee — asked the state's highest civil court, which consists of all Republicans, on Wednesday to immediately order her release.
- Lindell, Chuck (April 9, 2020). "Texas Supreme Court tosses Shelley Luther's contempt finding for refusing to close salon". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- "Two Texas lawmakers call for $2.5B in state funds for border wall". February 12, 2019.
- ^ "Issues". briscoecain.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "Gators in the Capitol: Briscoe Cain and Mary Ann Perez". news.uhd.edu. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- @BriscoeCain (October 7, 2013). "Yes I mix religion and politics" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Ura, Alexa (February 4, 2021). "Republican who helped Trump campaign challenge Joe Biden's win will lead election work in Texas House". The Texas Tribune.
- Multiple sources:
- Ura, Alexa (May 7, 2021). "Texas GOP's voting restrictions bill could be rewritten behind closed doors after final House passage". The Texas Tribune.
But both the original SB 7 and the original provisions of HB 6 were opposed by civil rights groups who raised the prospect that the legislation violates federal safeguards for voters of color. Republicans' efforts to further restrict voting in the state come as their presidential margins of victory continue to thin and Democrats drive up their votes in diverse urban centers and growing suburban communities.
- Ura, Alexa (March 22, 2021). "Texas Republicans begin pursuing new voting restrictions as they work to protect their hold on power". The Texas Tribune.
Senate Bill 7 is part of a broader package of proposals to constrain local initiatives widening voter access in urban areas, made up largely by people of color, that favor Democrats.
- "New GOP-led voting restrictions move forward in Texas". CBS News/AP. April 1, 2021.
The bill is one of two major voting packages in Texas that mirrors a nationwide campaign by Republicans after former President Donald Trump made false claims about election fraud. Voting rights groups say the measures would disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minority voters.
- Wines, Michael (April 1, 2021). "Texas lawmakers advance a bill that would make voting more difficult, drawing comparisons to Georgia". The New York Times.
Critics of the Senate bill said most of its provisions were less about making voting secure than about making it harder, particularly for urban voters and minority voters, two groups that tend to vote for Democrats.
- Barragán, James (April 1, 2021). "In overnight vote, Texas Senate passes bill that would make it harder to vote". Dallas Morning News.
said many of the bill's provisions would disproportionately affect voters of color. The extended voting hours in Harris County, for example, were mostly used by voters of color. Fifty-six percent of voters who cast ballots in late night hours were Black, Hispanic or Asian, according to the Texas Civil Rights Project.
- Coronado, Acacia (May 30, 2021). "EXPLAINER: How Texas Republicans aim to make voting harder". Associated Press.
Advocates say the changes would disproportionately affect minorities and people with disabilities.
- Gardner, Amy (May 30, 2021). "How the new Texas voting bill would create hurdles for voters of color". Washington Post.
While Senate Bill 7 would have wide-ranging effects on voters across the state, it includes specific language that critics say would disproportionately affect people of color — particularly those who live in under-resourced and urban communities.
- Jasper Scherer; Zach Despart (May 1, 2021). "GOP bills target Harris County's efforts to expand voting. Here's how that played out in the 2020 election". Houston Chronicle.
Voting rights experts say the bills — which include measures that would apply only to the state's most populous counties, all of which are predominantly nonwhite — would discriminate against voters of color.
- Nick Corasaniti (April 24, 2021). "Republicans Target Voter Access in Texas Cities, but Not Rural Areas". New York Times.
The Republican focus on diverse urban areas, voting activists say, evokes the state's history of racially discriminatory voting laws — including poll taxes and "white primary" laws during the Jim Crow era — that essentially excluded Black voters from the electoral process. Most of Harris County's early voters were white, according to a study by the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit group. But the majority of those who used drive-through or 24-hour voting — the early voting methods the Republican bills would prohibit — were people of color, the group found.
- Paul J. Weber (April 15, 2021). "Houston's expanded voting becomes target of GOP restrictions".
The effort is one of the clearest examples of how the GOP's nationwide campaign to tighten voting laws can target Democrats, even as they insist the measures are not partisan. With Americans increasingly sorted into liberal urban areas and conservative rural ones, geography can be an effective proxy for partisanship. Proposals tailored to cities or that take population into account are bound to have a greater impact on Democratic voters.; The county exemplifies the GOP's slipping grip on fast-changing Texas. In 2004, former President George W. Bush, who is from Texas, easily won Harris County and Republicans ran every major countywide office. But recent years have been routs for Democrats, whose wins now extend down the ballot to local judicial races.
- Ura, Alexa (May 7, 2021). "Texas GOP's voting restrictions bill could be rewritten behind closed doors after final House passage". The Texas Tribune.
- Montgomery, Dave; Corasaniti, Nick (May 12, 2021). "Exchange Over 'Purity' of Vote Puts Texas G.O.P. Firebrand in Spotlight". The New York Times.
- Knowles, Hannah (May 9, 2021). "A Texas bill drew ire for saying it would preserve 'purity of the ballot box.' Here's the phrase's history". Washington Post. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
The word "purity" has a long and racist legacy in the South, historians said. "Purity of the ballot box" is more obscure — several scholars said they were not aware of it being used for discrimination, and it was enshrined in the Texas Constitution of 1876, which did not bar Black people from voting. To others, though, it conjures century-old justifications for excluding Black voters and rules that have disproportionately kept minorities from casting ballots.
- Gardner, Amy (May 29, 2021). "Texas Republicans finalize bill that would enact stiff new voting rules that made it easier to overturn election results". Washington Post.
Cain, the chief House sponsor of one of the voting bills this year, proposed financial penalties against entities that publicly threaten "any adverse action against this state" in protest of election legislation.
- Gardner, Amy (April 22, 2021). "As the voting-rights fight moves to Texas, defiant Republicans test the resolve of corporations that oppose restrictions". Washington Post.
And on Wednesday, state Rep. Briscoe Cain (R), the chief sponsor of one of the voting bills, proposed financial penalties against entities that publicly threaten "any adverse action against this state" in protest against election legislation.
- "Texas counties reject unprecedented numbers of mail ballots ahead of March 1 primary under restrictive new law". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- Johnson, Brad. The Back Mic: Legislators Opposed to Democratic Chairs Listed, Rep. Moody Quells DA Appointment Rumors, House Rules Discussed, The Texan, December 9, 2022.
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- Caron, Paul L. (October 10, 2017). "Protesters Force Cancellation Of Speech By State Representative At Federalist Society Event At Thurgood Marshall Law School". TaxProf Blog. Retrieved December 29, 2017. The Federalist Society chapter president said that while the Society is a law school organization under the Student Bar Association, it was not registered with the main campus's student government association, but that he would register it if asked to. Dallas Morning News
- "'Racist' vs. 'thuggish': Canceled GOP speech at Houston HBCU turns into war of words | Higher Education". Dallas News. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ Morris, Angela (October 20, 2017). "At Law Schools, Rowdy Protests Provide Teachable Moments". Connecticut Law Tribune. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
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- ^ Kennedy, Bud (June 22, 2018). "'I think it's funny': Republican prankster booted from Texas Democratic convention". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
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- "Power Players: Rep. Briscoe Cain". Retrieved March 6, 2021.
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