John Ensign

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John Eric Ensign (born March 25, 1958) is the junior United States Senator from Nevada. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was born in Roseville, California, but he and his family moved to Nevada when he was a child. He went to universities in Nevada, Oregon, and Colorado, becoming a veterinarian in 1985. He then became a successful businessman, opening a 24-hour animal hospital in Las Vegas.

He quickly became successful at politics, being elected to the United States House of Representatives in the Republican landslide 1994 Congressional election. He was reelected in 1996 but declined to run again in 1998. Instead he ran for the Senate but was defeated by the Democratic incumbent, Harry Reid. He gained a Senate seat after his second try in 2000, defeating Democratic opponent Ed Bernstein, to succeed the retiring Democratic incumbent, Richard H. Bryan.

Ensign has become a leading voice against the Kelo v. New London Supreme Court ruling, and has announced plans to introduce a bill that would strongly blunt the effects of the ruling.

Senator Ensign has been praised by many organizations for his support for fiscal conservatism. In 2003, the American Conservative Union named Ensign along with Senators Chuck Hagel (NE) and Don Nickles (OK) as the most conservative Senator in 2003. Ensign failed to achieve the award in 2004, receiving a 92% score. His accolades for 2004 include being named, along with Senator Jon Kyl (AZ), the most taxpayer-friendly senator by the National Taxpayers Union. Ensign also received the highest rating for a senator by the Citizens Against Government Waste, while being hailed as a "Taxpayer's Hero" for his lifetime efforts against government waste. Both Citizens for a Sound Economy, whose chairman is former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, and the National Tax Limitation Committee gave Senator Ensign their highest ratings.

On the morning of January 30, 2006, Senator Ensign and an aide were involved in a traffic accident in Las Vegas after their car was struck by an oncoming car on their way to the airport. Both suffered minor injuries. [1]

For a short time in March 2006, Senator Ensign blocked the nomination of VADM Thad Allen to become the next Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. [2]. VADM Allen was the principal federal official following the Katrina hurricane, replacing FEMA director Brown.

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2006 re-election campaign

Main article : Nevada U.S. Senate election, 2006

Ensign is running for re-election. Recent poll show he has only a 49% approval rating, which is usually not good for an incumbent going into an election year.

Jack Carter, son of ex-President Jimmy Carter, is the only declared candidate for the Democratic nomination in the primary election. Popular Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman said in January that he will probably run [3], but has not filed as of early April, and could also run for governor.[4] Most of the Democrats in Nevada are in Goodman's Las Vegas, where he won with 86% of the vote the last election, providing a possible advantage in the primary election. The filing deadline is May 19, 2006. [5]

Carter doesn't have very much name recognition, and is currently trailing Ensign in the polls (33% to 48%). If Goodman runs and defeats Carter in the primary on August 15, 2006, then the general election in November could be very competitive. Goodman polls very close to Ensign (42.5 to 45, respectively), within the margin of error.

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Committee assignments

Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
- Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Readiness and Management Support (Chairman)

Committee on the Budget

Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
- Subcommittee on Aviation
- Subcommittee on Communications
- Subcommittee on Competition, Foreign Commerce, and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space

Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
- Subcommittee on Aging
- Subcommittee on Children and Families
- Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services