(Picture credit Chuck Conboy)
OMAHA — The race for U.S. Senate in Nebraska has been a bizarre show of gamesmanship, with a Democratic slot deliberately left blank, new political parties emerging at the last minute to fill the void, and multiple lawsuits being filed.
Caught in the middle of this is Chuck Conboy, an Omaha native who has suddenly found himself the nominee for U.S. Senate with the America First Party. The Plains Sentinel had the chance to talk with Conboy about his sudden foray into politics.
A Reluctant Nominee
“I’ve never wanted to be in politics,” Conboy said. “Politics to me has always been, like a lot of people, just something that you don’t do. You just stay out of it, you know, unless you want to just get down and dirty, and I have never been like that. I take the high road every time.”
Conboy described himself as an Irish Catholic. He attended Creighton Prep and worked primarily in sales. He worked at Baker’s supermarket for 28 years, starting at 15, and grew up knowing founder Abe Baker. He served as president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 271. After that, he worked in sales in the flooring industry for another 30 years, first for Nebraska Furniture Mart and then for ProSource Wholesale.
“If you need a floor, I’m the guy to see,” Conboy said. “It’s not what I originally started out aspiring to, but that’s the way it ended up.”
Talk of a new political career came up at a family barbecue, just two days after Conboy was discharged from the hospital following prostate surgery that came with serious complications, including sepsis.
One of Conboy’s cousins first presented the idea.
“I know you’re right-leaning towards the Trump regime,” Conboy recalled him saying. “You, like a lot of people, have expressed a little bit of dismay with things going off the rails lately—how would you like to be part of a new independent party?”
John Cartier then approached Conboy with the idea of running for U.S. Senate. Conboy’s initial response: “No, thank you.”
Cartier persisted, and Conboy eventually warmed to the idea after reading the party platform.
Among his conditions for running was that he would not run a negative campaign.
“I said, ‘I will not disparage anybody in another party. I won’t have negative attack ads,’” Conboy said. “I’m a positive person. You know, I’ve grown up in Nebraska all my life, and I would like to represent the people of Nebraska in a way that they want me to represent them, period.”
Conboy also said that he would not run for more than one term.
“You know, this is a six-year gig,” Conboy said. “I don’t want to be 100 years old when I get out of here. If I do this, I win, I’m out.”
Political Philosophies
Conboy described himself as a Republican but said he had no problem voting outside the party.
“I’m a fair guy—voted for Barack Obama the first time, even though I was a Republican,” Conboy said. “I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s give this guy a shot.’”
He did not vote to re-elect him, which he said was a “good move.” He then voted for President Trump in his first term.
“When Trump came to play, I always thought we needed somebody like that,” Conboy said. “You know, a wild bull in the arena to get things shaken up. And he did a pretty good job the first time—he was fighting the system.”
Conboy disagrees with some of Trump’s current positions, including the current conflict with Iran, which Conboy described as “going off the rails a little bit.”
As for his opponents in the race, Conboy said he has no issue with either of them.
“People ask me, ‘Well, what do you think about Pete Ricketts?’” Conboy said. “He’s a smart guy! You know, I’ve run into him a couple times over the years at different events. A great guy, you know? He’s just not doing enough for the average Nebraskan.”
As for Dan Osborn, Conboy said, “Another great guy. That guy’s a hardworking mechanic. He’s doing a great job too, doing his best. I’m not gonna disparage any of them.”
Conboy described the America First platform as one for voters dissatisfied with both parties, and described some of its planks as “common sense things that I believe in.”
“Get rid of the illegal aliens—they shouldn’t be here,” Conboy said. “We shouldn’t be paying for them. That money that taxpayers are paying for could go to taking care of the vets. It could be going to infrastructure improvement. So many different things.”
Conboy also supports reforms to student loans, citing his own two college-age sons.
“Anybody in this state that should want to go to college and get a college education should be able to do so and not be burdened with student loans for the next 20 years.”
Conboy, who is 73, also said that Social Security is a primary concern among fellow baby boomers he speaks to.
“The older people, the boomers I talk to, they’re worried to death about Social Security, and well they should. In 2032 it’ll be gone. Nobody’s doing anything to fix that.”
Next Steps
Being pulled into politics has largely been an unexpected turn for Conboy, a situation captured by the title of his forthcoming book, “Help Me, My Life Is on Fire.”
At the moment, those involved with the campaign are largely family members, including younger brothers and sisters, his cousins as “backup,” and his brother, Martin Conboy, who previously served as prosecutor for the City of Omaha from 1994 to 2012.
Conboy described those running the party machinery as “shoestringing this thing.” He does not know who is funding the campaign behind the scenes. He currently has no campaign manager, no website, and no business cards.
Conboy has been brainstorming a few campaign slogans, however. One currently under consideration is, “What the F**k, vote for Chuck.”
For the most part, while Conboy does not want to disparage either side of the political aisle, he does want to offer an alternative to them.
“There is somebody to vote for,” Conboy said. “You don’t have to vote for Democrats. You don’t have to vote for Republicans. You don’t have to vote for somebody you don’t agree with. I mean, if you agree with me, vote for me.”
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.