Married Senator who had an affair with his campaign aide quits to put his 'family first'

Senator John Ensign who wants to spare his family an 'exceptionally ugly' campaign after his affair with a party aide








Senator John Ensign who had an affair with one of his campaign staff revealed today he will not seek re-election in Nevada.

Ensign - facing an ethics investigation into his extramarital relationship - decided not to run because of the toll an 'exceptionally ugly 'campaign would have on his family.

The 52-year-old one-time rising GOP star said: 'At this point in my life, I have to put my family first.'

The married father-of-three described his decision as 'the most difficult I have ever made in my life.

'There are consequences to sin, and when you are in a leadership role those consequences can effect a lot of people.'

Ensign, who had vowed to carry on after he apologised for his behaviour in 2009, promised he would serve out the remainder of his second term.

But he said he did not want his family to have to see the television commercials that would have been run against him in a re-election campaign.

Ensign has been dogged by revelations over his nine-month affair with aide Cynthia Hampton, whose husband Doug had been his deputy chief of staff.

The Senate ethics committee is investigating if his alleged efforts to help Mr Hampton find another job in the wake of the affair, as well as a $96,000 payment by Ensign's parents to the Hampton family breeched their rules.

Ensign acknowledged that he had helped her husband obtain lobbying work with a Nevada company. But he is adamant that he did not violate Senate ethics rules.

When Ensign apologised for his behaviour and resigned as the party's chief he did not name the campaign aide involved in the affair but described her and her husband as good friends.

He said:'Our families were close. That closeness put me into situations which led to my inappropriate behaviour. We caused deep pain to both families and for that I am sorry.'

Ensign was first elected to the House in 1994. Four years later he lost a bid for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Harry Reid, now the majority leader, by fewer than 500 votes.

He is the eighth Senate incumbent to opt out of running for a new term - three Republicans, four Democrats and one independent.