Sen. John Ensign complicates Nevada campaigns

Reporting from Reno - Politically speaking, Sen. John Ensign of Nevada is about as battered as it gets.

The Republican senator in June acknowledged an extramarital affair with a campaign aide, who was married to his best friend, who has castigated Ensign in television interviews as a shameless Lothario.

In recent days, after the New York Times reported on Ensign's efforts to silence his mistress' husband, Doug Hampton, the Senate ethics committee launched an investigation and talk surfaced of a possible FBI inquiry.

Ensign has said he won't resign, and Nevada's GOP is widely considered too emasculated to push him out. Regardless of what voters think -- Ensign's approval rating in August was a dismal 30% -- they can't weigh in until 2012.

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Nevada is turning into (more) of a shithole, both economically and politically. I am glad I am planning to get out of there as soon as Congress extends emergency unemployment compensation.

that would allow you to mount a recall campaign? Maybe your local Dem club can hire a paralegal to research it for you?

You just have to wait until election time to get rid of them or else put pressure on them to resign. The U.S. Senate might be able to force him out, but that's about it.

As for Governor Gibbons, he could be recalled, I suppose, but nobody is going to do that this late stage in the game. I doubt he will win the Republican primary for governor next year.

good luck on your escape im gonna stick to virginia......

I really like the climate down there; Oregon just gets too damp for me in the winter, but there is nothing there for me anymore.

It's time to get out of there while I still would have a tiny bit of money to live on in the short term.

I've lived in Nevada 25 years, and have seen it go from being a heavily red state to mostly blue.

in, great people, great food, nice climate.... dont see myself doing much more roaming now....

The governor would just appoint a Republican to replace him, who would vote just the same and would then be able to run as a presumably scandal-free incumbent in 2012.

Besides, every day this shameless POS remains in office serves as a reminder to the electorate of the glaring hypocrisy of the GOP.