Ian Cain is a product of Greater Boston. He’s a fourth-generation Quincy resident whose parents met at the storied Boston bar Daisy Buchanan’s. He went to preschool in the Back Bay and was educated at Boston College High School and Boston College.
Now, the Quincy City Council chairman is hoping to unseat Sen. Elizabeth Warren. But first he has to face off against his Republican challenger, John Deaton.
Cain was elected to Quincy City Council in 2015 and is now in his fifth term. Before that he worked in venture capital and private equity in real estate, telecommunications, technology and energy.
He was previously a registered Democrat but unenrolled in 2019 when he no longer aligned with the issues and priorities of the party. Now a registered Republican, Cain said he’s running as an “independent voice” who will bring “practicality, pragmatism and common sense.”
“I’m not running to be a partisan. That is the problem with Elizabeth Warren is that she is so partisan,” he told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday.
Cain said Warren’s past run for president and focus on national issues makes her “out of touch” with Massachusetts residents. Warren’s office did not immediately respond to GBH News’ request for comment.
According to Cain’s campaign website, his platform is about “getting shit done” for the state.
“I know how to develop infrastructure projects. I know how to make partnerships with both the public and the private sector. And so that’s experience that I’m bringing to the table,” Cain said. “That would certainly lend itself well to collaborating with the federal government and making sure that we can develop pointed projects here in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
Cain said when he talks to voters, the two biggest issues that matter to them are immigration and the economy.
He said the bipartisan immigration bill that failed to pass in Congress — which Warren voted against — did not get at the root of the immigration problem.
“That there’s physical and financial burdens that are being put upon the commonwealth of Massachusetts, which are putting us at a strain. And then we’re neglecting those who are most vulnerable in our society now that our shelter system is overburdened,” he said.
For the economy, Cain said there should be more “alternative pathways for prosperity” besides college, like short-term training programs in cybersecurity and fiber, and training for a job in the trades.
“It mostly comes down to how can we enable and empower people to live better and more productive lives. And that’s what I’m focused on,” he said.
On the issue of the Supreme Court and whether he would align with the majority of the Republican Party in supporting or voting against confirming a justice, Cain told Boston Public Radio that as a senator he would vote in line with “the wishes of the constituents.” Speaking on the examples of Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch — who each received all or nearly all Republican senators’ votes — Cain said he would have voted against their confirmations “if that went for exactly what the Massachusetts residents stood for.”
On climate, Cain said he is not a “climate catastrophist.” During his time in the energy business, he worked on ways to wean countries off fossil fuels with a variety of other sources. But he said would support increasing energy production in the United States, including gas.
“There are certain advantages I also see from … looking at more domestic production, looking at alternative sources of energy, like nuclear, so that we can make sure that we have adequate power and energy needs. Especially in places where we have fragile infrastructure and we’re relying on foreign power,” Cain said.
