Gil Pinac

Who is Gil Pinac?

Gillis James Pinac, known as Gil Pinac is a former 12-year Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish. He switched his affiliation to Republican a week before announcing his candidacy for the Louisiana Public Service Commission in the special election held on April 4, 2009.

Pinac ran third in the election. As he conceded defeated on election night, Pinac endorsed his fellow Republican, former U.S. Representative Clyde C. Holloway. Holloway led narrowly in the initial balloting with 32,258 votes to Democrat State Senator Joe McPherson of Woodworth, also in Rapides Parish, who received 31,610 votes. Pinac trailed with 10,280 ballots, but he won his home parish of Acadia and polled four votes more than Holloway and McPherson, who tied with 120 votes each, in tiny Cameron Parish on the Gulf of Mexico. McPherson's greatest strength was in Calcasieu Parish – Lake Charles – where he led 11,178 to Holloway's 7,873, and Pinac's 3,127. Holloway's total in Calcasieu – Lake Charles – was also his single largest parish total. The home of both runoff candidates, Rapides Parish, in a low turnout cast 6,527 ballots for Holloway, 5,327 for McPherson, and 791 for Pinac.