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Here’s what to know about Ian Cain, the latest challenger to Elizabeth Warren
Quincy City Council President Ian Cain is styling his politics on moderate Republicans like Charlie Baker while going after the progressive, and popular, Mass. senator.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has another challenger. Ian Cain, president of the Quincy City Council, officially kicked off his campaign to unseat the popular progressive Wednesday. Running as a Republican, Cain will first have to square off with John Deaton in what could be a tight primary race before potentially taking on Warren.
Who is Cain, and how would he serve in the U.S. Senate? All indications point to him running as a moderate pragmatist, with him vowing to place what’s best for the Bay State above partisan bickering.
“I’ll be an independent voice for Massachusetts that gets s*** done, and fights for us, above all else,” he said in a video announcing his campaign.
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This blunt language appears to be a core part of his campaign, which highlights a “GSD (Get S*** Done) agenda.”
At 41, Cain is Quincy’s first Black and openly gay City Council president, but he shies away from “identity politics” and the progressive left. He was briefly a registered Democrat, but assumed his current role leading the Quincy City Council as an unenrolled voter in January. Cain registered as a Republican in late February, according to The Boston Globe.
Cain’s history
Cain was raised in a bipartisan, biracial, middle class household in Quincy, according to a Commonwealth Beacon profile from last year. An image of him wearing a George H.W. Bush sticker on his jacket as a child is featured in his kickoff video.
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Cain’s father worked as a headhunter and a human resources professional before becoming the first Black person to run for citywide office in Quincy. He inspired his son, who recalled dreams of running for president as a 7-year-old to Commonwealth Beacon.
After attending Boston College High School, Cain earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Boston College, and eventually received an MBA from Duke University. He built a career working in venture capital and in commercial real estate before funding a startup incubator called QUBIC Labs in 2020.
With QUBIC, Cain sought to build out Massachusetts’ blockchain ecosystem by emulating the leaders of Miami and their efforts to woo cryptocurrency companies, according to a Globe profile from 2022.
He has served on the Quincy City Council since 2016.
Cain’s issues
Back in 2016, Cain posed for a photo with Warren after meeting her at an event for young elected officials. He praised her, writing in a Facebook post that everyone there shared “optimism and commitment” for enacting meaningful change.
Eight years later, Cain is coming out of the gates swinging.
“No one has disappointed Massachusetts more than Elizabeth Warren. Instead of working for Massachusetts, she’s working for herself. What’s worse is that she’s incapable of delivering real results because she’s so bogged down in the extreme partisanship that keeps Washington and our government at a standstill,” Cain said in his kickoff video.
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When asked about Cain’s campaign, a Warren spokesperson pointed towards the senator’s accomplishments without referencing her potential opponent.
“Senator Warren has taken on tough fights and won — from lowering costs for student debt and hearing aids, to taxing billionaire corporations to fund climate investments, to helping deliver more than $50 billion in federal funding to Massachusetts — and she’ll continue working hard for Massachusetts families.” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Cain has been critical of Warren on social media in the run-up to his official campaign announcement. Earlier this month, Warren made headlines for telling constituents at a mosque that she believes international officials will find that Israel’s actions in Gaza legally constitute genocide. Cain said that Warren was “placating the far left anti-Israel base” of the Democratic party by doing so.
The “issues” page of Cain’s website makes no mention of the Middle East. On foreign policy, he focuses on meeting China’s growing influence with “even greater American strength, might, and innovation.”
Cain is vocal about the need to improve security at U.S. borders and decrease illegal immigration. On his website, he emphasizes the need to prioritize the financial support of American citizens before migrants. Cain seized on news that a Brazilian national who entered the U.S. illegally was released from custody in Massachusetts after being arraigned on multiple child rape charges.
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“[Warren] has shown she isn’t willing to do anything to secure our border or solve this problem. Now these problems are in our backyard. Threatening our communities and families,” Cain wrote on X.
Donald Trump, who pressured Republican lawmakers to kill a bipartisan bill that would have strengthened border security, has made opposition to illegal immigration and dehumanizing rhetoric about migrants a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. Cain is pitching himself as a Republican more in the mold of former Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker. When asked about Trump’s hold on the GOP last year, Cain told Commonwealth Beacon that he comes to the party for its pro-business stance and referenced moderates like Baker and former Gov. Paul Cellucci.
Cain told Politico that he would not be voting for either Trump or President Biden this fall. He described himself as “pro-choice.”
Warren is one of the fiercest critics of cryptocurrency in Washington, while Deaton specializes in cryptocurrency advocacy and litigation. On his website, Cain says that most senators don’t know the basics of the “digital economy,” cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technology. He vows to “enact responsible regulations that also don’t limit the opportunities” companies in this sector are trying to create.
Still, Cain told Politico this week that cryptocurrencies and related issues are not going to be at the top of mind for most Massachusetts voters.
“I’ve seen Elizabeth Warren come out as anti-crypto … And I’ve seen John Deaton come out as pro-crypto. What that really says to me is that they’re both grossly out of touch and out of step with Massachusetts voters,” Cain told Politico.
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Cain is instead choosing to focus on holding politicians accountable, decreasing taxes, reducing childcare costs, and investing in infrastructure.
Race outlook
Warren is still considered the heavy favorite to retain her seat in the Senate, especially after Cain and Deaton duke it out in the GOP primary. A Suffolk University poll from February found that Warren had a 54% favorability and job approval rating. When asked about a hypothetical matchup where Jonathan Kraft ran as a Republican, Warren garnered the support of 56% of respondents.
Warren, a prolific fundraiser, ramped up these efforts in the first quarter of 2024. Her campaign account now holds $4.4 million, according to the Globe.
Deaton loaned his campaign $1 million, and had raised more than $360,000 from individual contributors as of early April. He is also getting the backing of wealthy heavy hitters in the cryptocurrency space, per Politico.
Cain’s campaign has already gathered the 10,000 signatures he needs to get on the ballot ahead of a May deadline, according to the Globe. He is working with Targeted Victory, a Virginia-based consulting firm, to ramp up fundraising efforts, according to Commonwealth Beacon. He described his campaign as a “high-growth startup.”
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