Cary Deaton

Democratic Party

Education

High school

Archbishop Rummel High School, 1970

Bachelor's

University of New Orleans, 1974

Law

Tulane University, 1977

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Attorney

Cary Deaton was aDemocratic candidate forgovernor of Louisiana in the2015 election.^[1] Deaton was defeated in theblanket primary onOctober 24, 2015, by Democratic rivalJohn Bel Edwards and RepublicanDavid Vitter, coming in fifth place overall.^[2]

Deaton was also a Democratic candidate forgovernor of Louisiana in the2011 election.^[3] He lost to incumbentRepublicanBobby Jindal in the October 22, 2011, primary election. He previously ran unsuccessfully forstate attorney general in 1995, a seat in the U.S. House in 2000 and a U.S. Senate seat in 2010.^[4]

Biography

Deaton was born in Columbus, Miss. He graduated from Archbishop Rummel High school, received a B.A. in political science from the University of New Orleans and earned aJ.D. from Tulane Law School. He has worked as an attorney with Cary J. Deaton & Associates since 1987, specializing in intellectual property cases. He also handles some criminal defense and personal injury cases. In a recent interview, Deaton also said that he has assisted "pro-life activists" in litigation.^[5][6]

In addition to his work in the private sector, Deaton has worked as an assistant district attorney in New Orleans and as an attorney in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.^[5]

Education

• B.A., in political science, Louisiana State University (1974)
• J.D., Tulane Law School (1977)^[7]

Elections

2015

See also:Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2015

Deaton was a candidate forGovernor of Louisiana in the2015 election. The primary election occurred on October 24, 2015.^[8]

Many observers considered Deaton's chances for winning the governorship to be slim, given his anticipated lack of fundraising compared to the other candidates. However, Deaton said that he is “using more of a populist approach, similar to Bernie Sanders." He insisted, however, that his policies were unlike those of Senator Sanders: "The big difference between Bernie Sanders and myself is he’s a socialist. I steer clear of that.” He anticipated increasing his vote share from roughly 50,000 votes in 2011 to 200,000-300,000 votes in the 2015 election and said that it was "very possible" for him to make the runoff election if no candidate managed to win at least 50 percent of the vote in the October primary.^[6]

Results

Primary

Deaton was defeated, earning 1.1 percent of the vote. No candidate received an outright majority in theblanket primary election. The two candidates with the most votes, who qualified for the November runoff election, wereJohn Bel Edwards (D) andDavid Vitter (R).^[9]

Governor of Louisiana, Blanket Primary, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Bel Edwards	39.9%	444,061
	Republican	David Vitter	23%	256,105
	Republican	Scott Angelle	19.3%	214,907
	Republican	Jay Dardenne	15%	166,553
	Democratic	Cary Deaton	1.1%	11,750
	Democratic	S L Simpson	0.7%	7,411
	Independent	Beryl Billiot	0.5%	5,690
	Independent	Jeremy "JW" Odom	0.4%	4,755
	Independent	Eric Paul Orgeron	0.2%	2,244
Total Votes				1,113,476
Election ResultsLouisiana Secretary of State.

General election

The general election forLouisiana governor betweenDavid Vitter (R) andJohn Bel Edwards (D) was held on November 21, 2015. Edwards defeated hisRepublican opponent.

Governor of Louisiana, Run-off election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Bel Edwards	56.1%	646,860
	Republican	David Vitter	43.9%	505,929
Total Votes				1,152,789
Election Resultsvia the Louisiana Secretary of State.

Issues: 2015

In an interview withThe Town Talk, Deaton mentioned the following issues as major themes of his 2015 campaign:

• A "10 percent reduction in the cost of college tuition at state colleges and universities, which could increase enrollment."

• He left the Republican Party and registered as a Democrat because he believes that "the Republican Party as a general rule...lacked enough empathy for poor and disadvantaged.”

• "Being a Democratic governor would give him some leverage with the White House in 2016 and possibly beyond, but he can still work with a mostly Republican congressional delegation."

• "Louisiana should accept more federal funds to expand Medicaid, which Jindal has rejected."

• "He would work to get more business incubators located throughout the state, as well as help more companies get Small Business Administration assistance."

• He opposes tort reform.

• He is a "pro-life, pro-gun" Democrat.^[6]

Polls

Run-off election candidates match-up: David Vitter (R) vs. John Bel Edwards (D)

Primary election candidates match-up

Run-off hypothetical match-up: Scott Angelle (R) vs. John Bel Edwards (D)

Run-off hypothetical match-up: John Bel Edwards (D) vs. David Vitter (R)

Run-off hypothetical match-up: John Bel Edwards (D) vs. Jay Dardenne (R)

Run-off hypothetical match-up: Scott Angelle (R) vs. David Vitter (R)

Debates

November 16 debate

The final debate between Louisiana gubernatorial candidatesJohn Bel Edwards (D) andDavid Vitter (R) took place at the Dunham School in Baton Rouge, La., on November 16, 2015.^[10]

The first topic of the debate was how each candidate would handle the 10,000 Syrian refugees that President Obama said the United States would accept in the coming months. Both candidates said they supported GovernorBobby Jindal's executive order preventing more refugees from entering Louisiana, beyond the 14 already settled. Vitter accused Edwards, however, of siding with Obama on the issue.^[11]

The candidates also debated character issues and tax policy.^[10]

In his closing statement, Vitter addressed allegations that he had solicited the services of prostitutes in the past, arguing that he had grown as a person. Edwards had mentioned it multiple times, directly and indirectly, throughout the evening.^[10]

November 10 debate

The two remaining candidates for Louisiana governor,David Vitter (R) andJohn Edwards (D), participated in a debate in Baton Rouge. Topics at the November 10, 2015, debate included health insurance, K-12 education, the state budget and infrastructure, and various campaign issues. The debate lasted for one hour.^[12]

See also:Fact-checking John Bel Edwards on David Vitter's legislative record

November 9 debate

January 16 forum

Gubernatorial candidatesScott Angelle (R),Jay Dardenne (R),David Vitter (R), andJohn Edwards (D) opened Louisiana's election season with a largely congenial forum. All four candidates shared similar thoughts on funding for transportation and the state police along with the legacy of term-limited Gov.Bobby Jindal (R). Dardenne criticized the state's approach to new transportation projects, arguing that it was unsustainable and too political. Each candidate agreed that the state police should see decreases in their allotment from the transportation trust fund, which was funded by gas taxes. Vitter, a sitting U.S. senator, criticized Jindal for his budgeting practices and argued that the governor had used his position as a springboard to seek the presidency.^[13]

The biggest source of disagreement on January 16 was the state's financial support for parish transportation costs. Angelle and Edwards noted that parish governments needed state transportation aid because of their inability to generate enough revenue for local projects. Dardenne argued that current local aid, equaling more than one cent per dollar in gas taxes, needed to be decreased to preserve the state fund.^[13]

Campaign finance

Third quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$2,685,411.34 and spent a total of$3,535,658.92 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on September 25, 2015.^[14]

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
David Vitter	Governor of Louisiana	$5,036,128.60	$839,256.29	$1,817,430.51	$4,056,066.63
Scott Angelle	Governor of Louisiana	$1,041,264.83	$619,962.04	$593,877.65	$1,046,210.64
Jay Dardenne	Governor of Louisiana	$1,863,338.32	$376,345.21	$604,699.33	$1,619,108.36
John Edwards	Governor of Louisiana	$1,071,207.26	$841,974.24	$516,506.89	$1,383,344.03
Cary Deaton	Governor of Louisiana	$218.54	$1,100.71	$1,319.25	$0.00
Eric Paul Orgeron	Governor of Louisiana	$0.00	$1,572.85	$1,230.29	$342.56
Beryl Billiot	Governor of Louisiana	$100.53	$5,200.00	$595.00	$4,705.53
Grand Total Raised					$2,685,411.34
Grand Total Spent					$3,535,658.92

Second quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$2,785,400.33 and spent a total of$1,873,096.62 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on September 25, 2015.^[15]

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
David Vitter	Governor of Louisiana	$4,210,300.47	$1,343,769.29	$510,582.33	$5,036,128.60
Scott Angelle	Governor of Louisiana	$1,201,137.27	$787,933.00	$922,153.99	$1,041,264.83
Jay Dardenne	Governor of Louisiana	$1,854,112.97	$407,657.97	$379,492.62	$1,863,338.32
John Edwards	Governor of Louisiana	$894,173.86	$246,040.07	$60,196.00	$1,071,207.26
Cary Deaton	Governor of Louisiana	$890.22	$0.00	$671.68	$218.54
Beryl Billiot	Governor of Louisiana	$100.53	$0.00	$0.00	$100.53
Grand Total Raised					$2,785,400.33
Grand Total Spent					$1,873,096.62

First quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$2,539,527.28 and spent a total of$1,598,135.31 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on May 4, 2015.^[16]

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
David Vitter	Governor of Louisiana	$3,504,174.14	$1,144,275.20	$431,810.24	$4,210,300.47
Scott Angelle	Governor of Louisiana	$1,431,310.95	$641,686.04	$851,911.00	$1,201,137.27
Jay Dardenne	Governor of Louisiana	$1,549,526.30	$520,925.40	$198,848.13	$1,854,112.97
John Edwards	Governor of Louisiana	$784,919.30	$230,140.64	$113,781.44	$894,173.86
Cary Deaton	Governor of Louisiana	$0.00	$2,500.00	$1,609.78	$890.22
Beryl Billiot	Governor of Louisiana	$275.25	$0.00	$174.72	$100.53
Grand Total Raised					$2,539,527.28
Grand Total Spent					$1,598,135.31

Annual report (2014)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$6,699,634.53 and spent a total of$1,267,092.55 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on February 19, 2015.^[17]

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
David Vitter	Governor of Louisiana	$0	$4,107,597.72	$600,212.83	$3,504,174.14
Scott Angelle	Governor of Louisiana	$175,574.96	$1,516,900.82	$232,370.28	$1,431,310.95
Jay Dardenne	Governor of Louisiana	$1,225,114.71	$690,128.62	$326,051.28	$1,549,526.30
John Edwards	Governor of Louisiana	$474,725.46	$385,007.37	$108,458.16	$745,894.30
Grand Total Raised					$6,699,634.53
Grand Total Spent					$1,267,092.55

2011

TheLouisiana Gubernatorial election of 2011 was decided on October 22, 2011, in the primary election. IncumbentRepublicanBobby Jindal captured more than 50 percent of the vote in theblanket primary, winning re-election outright. Deaton placed third out of 10 candidates, earning less than 5 percent of the vote. The Louisiana general election was held on Saturday, November 19, 2011, but the office ofgovernor did not appear on the ballot.^[18]

Governor of Louisiana, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bobby JindalIncumbent	65.8%	673,239
	Democratic	Tara Hollis	17.9%	182,925
	Democratic	Cary Deaton	4.9%	50,071
	Democratic	Trey Roberts	3.3%	33,280
	Independent	David Blanchard	2.6%	26,705
	Democratic	Niki Bird Papazoglakis	2.1%	21,885
	Libertarian	Scott Lewis	1.2%	12,528
	Independent	Robert Lang, Jr.	0.9%	9,109
	Independent	Ron Caesar	0.8%	8,179
	Independent	Leonard Bollingham	0.5%	5,242
Total Votes				1,023,163
Election results viaLouisiana Secretary of State

Issues: 2011

Deaton is a self-described "pro-life, pro-gun conservative Democrat" who believes in strong crime control.^[4][19] In a candidate questionnaire submitted to theTimes-Picayune, Deaton identified the following priorities:

• protect Social Security
• stop tuition increases at Louisiana colleges and universities
• be a full-time governor, not one who's at fundraisers 56 days out of the year
• work for a light-rail system in Louisiana
• pro-life^[20]

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Personal

Note: Pleasecontact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Deaton is divorced and has two children.^[20]

Contact information

Cary Deaton Campaign Headquarters
3524 16th St., Suite F
Metairie, LA 70002

Phone: (504) 957-8043

Recent news

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See also

Louisiana	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
Louisiana State Executive OfficesLouisiana State LegislatureLouisiana Courts	2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016Louisiana elections:2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016	Party control of state governmentState government trifectasState of the state addressesPartisan composition of governors

External links

Suggest a link

• Project VoteSmart bio

Footnotes

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