Pro-Life State Senate Candidate Accused Of Advising Abortion
Posted on October 20, 2008 at 6:08 pmThe letter writing campaign against 26th District state Senate candidate Randy Camp does not appear to be letting up in the least out in West Tennessee. The candidate who was revealed in August to have committed adultery in his marriage now stands accused by his ex-wife of counseling a woman to have an abortion.
The first volley in this letter-writing campaign (which all participants assure Post Politics has come without direction from the Republican Party or the campaign of Camp’s opponent, State Rep. Dolores Gresham) was lobbed by Randy Camp’s former brother-in-law, Tommy Roland.
In a letter, distributed this summer to “some folks around the district” and motivated by a “country-boy” urge to defend his sister, Roland got into the nitty-gritty of Randy Camp’s divorce of his wife, Lisa. A copy of the divorce records where Camp admitted to adultery in his marriage were enclosed.
The next letter was sent by Camp’s former mother-in-law. In her letter, the grandmother of young Catherine and Leigh Camp documents her pleading in correspondence to candidate Camp that he not use his daughters in a political fashion. Camp declined.
Now, in the most salacious chapter, Lisa Roland Camp, Randy Camp’s ex-wife, has penned her own letter bearing her own signature.
In the letter Lisa Camp accuses her pro-life candidate ex-husband, Randy Camp, of counseling an unnamed woman to have an abortion.
I am ashamed that I have watched [Randy Camp] tell voters lie and after lie after lie and said nothing. But when I saw him use our daughters in an effort to portray himself as pro-life, I knew I couldn’t remain silent any longer.
Randy Camp is not pro-life. He may tell you that in an effort to get your vote but when confronted with an inconvenient pregnancy, he counseled abortion. I know. Fortunately, the woman did not listen.
When contacted by Post Politics Lisa Camp confirmed that she was the author of the letter. She said that the letter had been sent out to “a bunch” of people around the district and that her reasons for writing were simple.
“All these years I’ve lived with Randy Camp, I know he is not pro-life,” Camp explained. “I was gonna stay out of it. Really, I was. But after I saw that commercial with my girls saying he was pro-life, I just couldn’t stay out of it anymore.”
Lisa Camp refused to comment on whether she had been present for the abortion counseling or if she had heard it from the person counseled.
When asked how she could assure Post Politics that Randy Camp had counseled a woman to get an abortion Camp responded matter-of-factly.
“You’re just gonna have to take my word for it,” Camp explained, “I just know.”
Speaking for Randy Camp, State Senate Democratic Caucus Political Director Mark Brown says that Camp “flatly denies” these allegations.
Brown says that Camp has “never advised anyone to have an abortion and has no idea what incident [Ms. Camp] writes about.”
The campaign also released the following statement by Mark Brown:
“Everyone that knows Randy Camp knows that he is pro-life and pro-traditional values. He and [Rep. Gresham] agree on that.
Where they disagree is on her belief that government should work for her and not for the people. [Rep. Gresham] and her supporters can try to distract voters from her record with accusations and innuendo, but it won’t work.
The fact of the matter is that the only two accomplishments of Dolores Gresham’s legislative career have been to raise her own pay and to give herself thousands of dollars of taxpayer money in farm grants. She and her supporters just don’t get that they can’t obscure that fact.”
Camp Was Randy: State Senate Candidate Admitted Adultery As Grounds For Divorce
Posted on August 22, 2008 at 2:34 pm
While State Senate Candidate Randy Camp has received the blessing of the state’s highest ranking Democrat in his quest to hold the state Senate seat of former Lt. Governor John Wilder for the party, another state Democrat of significantly less prominence is not at all enthusiastic about the candidacy of Mr. Camp.
Tommy Roland, brother in law to Mr. Camp for 20 years, has written a damning letter, obtained by Post Politics, in which he calls into question his former brother-in-law’s fitness to serve.
The letter, dated July 15, which Mr. Roland says was sent to Governor Bredesen, Lt. Governor Wilder and “various others around the 26th state Senate District” accuses Mr. Camp of gross martial misconduct.
“Randy Camp’s conduct while married to my sister was horrible. He was having several affairs right under our noses. His actions have resulted in at least two broken marriages and damage to others, Families in both Crockett and Gibson Counties have been hurt by all of this. Lisa also received anonymous letters from Nashville telling her of extramarital affairs as well,” says Roland in the letter.
Attached with the letter is a copy of the divorce judgment against Mr. Camp in which Camp concedes to adultery as grounds for the divorce. An appellate court decision which gets into further details of the divorce including a dispute over alimony, is also online.
“Mr. Camp contends that the trial court erred in awarding Ms. Camp alimony in futuro rather than rehabilitative alimony, and in setting alimony at an inappropriately high amount. Mr. Camp asserts that, as the trial court found, Ms. Camp is a healthy and intelligent woman who is capable of earning $25,000 to $40,000 per year, depending on whether she completes her bachelor’s degree. He argues that the parties did not enjoy a lavish lifestyle during the course of their marriage and that, in light of the division of property, Ms. Camp is able to maintain a lifestyle similar to that enjoyed prior to the divorce and does not need alimony in futuro.”
Camp’s brother-in-law says that, while he does usually vote Democrat, he is not a political person and has no political agenda — he simply feels called to speak out.
“I’m just a country boy standin’ up for my sister,” Roland tells Post Politics. “If [Camp] had just waited a year or two, nobody in this family would have said a word about any of this.”
Indeed, timing seems to be a very crucial issue for Roland. He objects quite vigorously to the opening of wounds so quickly after infliction contending that the final divorce appeal was only resolved a month before Mr. Camp threw his hat in the ring for state senate (although he did appear to waver a bit).
Tommy Roland explains, “After nearly twenty years of infidelity and two years fighting in court, we all thought it was finally over. Then, thirty days after the court decided for Lisa, Mr. Camp announced his candidacy. How he could even think about running for office at this point in time is unbelievable.”
When contacted Camp’s ex-wife, Lisa Faye Roland Camp, told Post Politics that while she was not aware of her brother’s intention to send the letter she supports her brother in “doing what he felt he needed to do” and vouches for the letter’s veracity.
“Everything in the letter is true,” explains the candidate’s ex-wife.
In 2006, Camp resigned his position as State Administrative Officer of the Courts stating at the time his reason for the resignation in a press release.
“For the past several months I have been dealing with personal matters involving my family in West Tennessee,” Camp said. “These matters have now reached a level of complexity that will require even more of my attention over the coming weeks, perhaps months.”
Contacted by Post Politics, Camp said he was aware of the letter and, in fact, said the one originally received by Post Politics is not the only one of its kind circulating. Indeed, a different version of the letter, dated July 28, includes a postscript mentioning the harassment he received after sending the first letter.
Camp thinks that the distribution of these letters are, at the very least, intriguing.
“For a guy who claims to know nothing about politics, it’s interesting that these letters are shipped through bulk mail and seem to be sent to targeted voters,” explained Camp.
Camp tells P-squared that his campaign has received many, many calls about the letters most always from white female voters. Camp says that even when the callers are male they are always calling on behalf of a wife or a sister. Camp would not comment on whether he thought the letters were part of a coordinated effort by political opponents.
As to the content of the letter(s), Camp says there are both true and untrue statements contained within. He says, in the interest of his daughters (who support him and travel with him on the campaign trail), he is not going to go about rebutting any of it. That said, Camp does not shy away from admitting wrongdoing.
“Listen, like some folks have told me, if they had just stuck with the truth it would be bad enough,” said Camp. “I’m not hiding or covering up anything.”
The alimony dispute, Camp explains, was in the interest of his children.
“My ex-wife got quite a bit of property up front and she is capable of working. I was simply trying to get more money to my children. The judge made his decision, though, and that’s the end of it,” Camp explained.
Camp does not believe that his adultery should in any way disqualify him from office.
“If we only allowed perfect people to serve, we wouldn’t have many people up there,” explained Camp. “But that’s up to the voters to decide.”
Camp will face current state Rep. Dolores Gresham, who weeks ago emerged from a squeaker of a GOP primary with former candidate Bob Schutt, in the general election for the traditionally Democratic seat. The open seat is crucial one in the battle for the General Assembly as the Tennessee state Senate is currently divided evenly 16-16-1.
SEE ALSO:
Appellate court judgment
Tommy Roland Letter
Photo Of Camp with Harold Ford, Jr.
Bill Hobbs
Sean Braisted
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