Anthony Raines

Anthony Martin Raines (born October 9, 1973) is an Acadian politician who served as a senator from Waterlawn County from 2006 to 2016. He was appointed to the Senate by Waterlawn Prefect Nick Barnes after the 2005 Census increased Waterlawn from two Senate seats to three. Raines was later elected in his own right in 2008 and 2012.

Before his tenure in the Senate, Raines was prominent member of the Waterlawn Legislature. Raines was first elected in 1996 and age 22, becoming one of the youngest people in all of Acadian politics. The minimum age for county legislatures is 18.

Raines became leader of the Legislature's Progressive Party in 2001, and served two non-consecutive runs as Speaker.

Waterlawn Legislature election, 1996
Raines announced his run for one of the seats in the County Legislature in late 1995. His campaign gained national attention due to his age.

On January 13, 1996, Raines won one of the eight available seats in Class D. He came in 7th place.

During his first term as a legislator, Raines became known as the most liberal member. On his first day, Raines famously demanded to legalize recreational marijuana through a loud shout. At this time, the Conservative Party held a majority with 18 seats. Raines began a public rivalry with Bob Grandal, the Conservative Speaker of the Legislature.

Waterlawn Legislature election, 2000
Raines people extremely popular after his first term, especially among Waterlawn Progressives. He was re-elected to the Legislature in 2000, this time finishing in 1st place.

Becoming Progressive Party Leader
Richard Plumber, the previous leader of the Progressive Party in the Legislature, retired in 2000. On the first day of the 2000 legislative session, the Progressive members elected Raines as the new party leader. Since Progressives held the second-most seats, Raines was the Opposition Leader at this time.

Becoming Speaker of the Legislature
After the 2001 Legislature elections, the Conservatives lost a net 5 seats, while Progressives gained 4. The compsition at this time was: Progressive 16, Conservative 11, Green 3, and Independent 4.