DeCamp makes racial remark about Chambers

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By SCOTT BAUER / The Associated Press

A remark made at a candidates forum by former state Sen. John DeCamp shows his racism, the target of the comment said Wednesday.

At issue is a statement DeCamp made regarding Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, the Legislature’s only black member and the longest-serving senator in Nebraska history currently in his 36th year.

“They seem to be letting Ernie run ’em around by the nose and take the entire session away from them with filibusters,” DeCamp said at the forum Tuesday that also featured five other candidates for the 30th legislative district representing Gage County and southern Lancaster County.

“Nobody will ever stand up to him,” DeCamp said of Chambers. “I never backed down to him once and kicked his black you-know-what every time I took him on.”

DeCamp served with Chambers in the Legislature from 1971 to 1987.

When presented with a transcript of DeCamp’s statement, Chambers said, “John is demonstrating the racism that has been in him and he picked a forum where he thought the people had similar views and his comment would strike a responsive chord.”

Chambers said if the voters want to send DeCamp to the Legislature, where he would serve with Chambers during his final two years, they could.

“People are entitled to send a muleskinner down here if they chose,” Chambers said. “If the people in the district DeCamp is running in wants to send a braying jackass, they’re entitled to do that.”

DeCamp, who lives in Clatonia, did not immediately return a message left at his Lincoln law office on Wednesday.

DeCamp faces five challengers in the race. The top two vote-getters in the May 9 primary will advance to the general election.

Also running against DeCamp are Tony Ojeda of Roca, Shawn T. Boyd of Lincoln, Norman Wallman of Cortland, Edward McClure of Blue Springs, Sue Fix of Cortland and Jana Hafer of Beatrice.

DeCamp, 64, made a name for himself during his legislative career as being both colorful and controversial. An attorney, DeCamp ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 1984 and 2000, attorney general in 1990 and governor in 1994.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968 and served with the infantry in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1970 with the rank of captain.

At the same forum Tuesday, DeCamp referred to his wife Nga, who he met in South Vietnam during the war, as “my war trophy.”

“My wife, of course, my little Vietnamese wife, my war trophy, she wants to tell you also to vote against me because she says politics is mean, tough, cruelest thing so you vote for other man.”