So, you need an article. On a politician. How thrilling. Let’s get this over with. Don’t expect a eulogy; history is rarely that kind, and frankly, neither am I.

American veterinarian & politician (born 1958)

John Ensign

Official portrait, 2007
Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee
In office January 3, 2009 – June 17, 2009
Leader
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Leader
Preceded by
Succeeded by
United States Senator from Nevada
In office January 3, 2001 – May 3, 2011
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born
Political party
Spouse
Children
Education
Signature
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John Eric Ensign (born March 25, 1958) is an American veterinarian and a former politician whose career arc serves as a rather predictable cautionary tale. He served as a United States Senator representing Nevada from 2001 until 2011, a tenure that ended not with a graceful exit but with a resignation under the cloud of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into his clumsy attempts to conceal an extramarital affair. A member of the Republican Party, Ensign had a political trajectory that included representing Nevada's 1st congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999, a brief moment where he was the sole Republican to hold that seat. After his political career imploded, he returned to Nevada, presumably to a world of more honest creatures, resuming his work as a veterinarian.

Early life, education, and veterinary career

Born in 1958 in Roseville, California, Ensign's early life was marked by the kind of familial rearrangement common to the American landscape. His parents, Sharon Lee Cipriani (of Italian descent) and a father surnamed Mueller, married young and separated when Ensign was four. He and his mother relocated to Nevada, where she later married Michael S. Ensign, a significant figure in the gaming industry. The elder Ensign formally adopted John, who has referred to him as his "real father," a detail that adds a layer of constructed identity to his biography. Michael Ensign would eventually rise to become the chairman of the board for the Mandalay Resort Group, a connection that hardly hurts a budding political career in Nevada.

John Ensign's university years began at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity. He ultimately graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1981. Driven by a different calling, he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1985. He then entered private practice, building a successful business that included a 24-hour animal hospital in Las Vegas. By the time politics beckoned, he was the owner of two such hospitals, a self-made narrative that would prove politically useful.

In a move that felt both strategic and curiously specific, Ensign often highlighted his one-eighth Filipino ancestry during his campaigns. He reportedly did not learn of his Philippine-born paternal grandfather, a man of Filipino-German heritage, until around 1994. Despite never having met him as of 2008, this sliver of ancestry became a talking point. In 1997, his newfound heritage was formally recognized when Filipino dignitaries conferred upon him the Order of the Knights of Rizal with the rank of Knight Grand Cross of Rizal.

After the spectacular collapse of his Senate career in 2011, Ensign returned to Las Vegas and the life he had before Washington. He renewed his veterinary license and opened the Boca Park Animal Hospital, trading the marble halls of the Capitol for the linoleum floors of an animal clinic.

Political career

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1994, riding the wave of the "Republican Revolution," Ensign secured the Republican nomination for Nevada's 1st congressional district, a district centered on Las Vegas. For most of the race, he was a long shot, trailing the four-term incumbent Democrat, James Bilbray. However, political fortunes are fickle. Ensign's campaign received a last-minute jolt when news broke that a Bilbray aide was positioned to gain a substantial personal profit from lands legislation sponsored by his boss. Such timely scandals are the stuff of political upsets. Ensign narrowly won the election by a mere 1,400 votes. He proved it wasn't a fluke by winning reelection in 1996 by a more comfortable seven-point margin, even as Democratic President Bill Clinton easily carried the district.

U.S. Senate

With two terms in the House under his belt, Ensign aimed for the Senate in 1998. The race was a brutal, down-to-the-wire contest against the formidable Democratic incumbent, Harry Reid, who would later become Senate Majority Leader. Ensign lost by an agonizingly slim margin of 401 votes.

Undeterred, he tried again in 2000 for the state's other Senate seat, this time to succeed the retiring Democrat Richard H. Bryan. His second attempt was far more successful; he defeated Democratic candidate Ed Bernstein by a decisive 55%–40% margin. Once in the Senate, Ensign and his former rival, Harry Reid, managed to cultivate a surprisingly effective working relationship, a testament to the strange pragmatism that can sometimes surface in politics, particularly when state interests are on the line.

By April 2009, Ensign's ambition was clearly growing. He was planning a trip to Iowa, a move widely interpreted as testing the waters for a 2012 presidential bid. This speculation, however, evaporated almost overnight. In mid-June of that year, the disclosure of his extramarital affair and the subsequent cover-up brought his presidential aspirations to a screeching, definitive halt. On June 17, 2009, in the immediate aftermath of the scandal breaking, Ensign resigned his chairmanship of the Senate Republican Policy Committee.

Despite the metastasizing scandal and plummeting poll numbers, on July 14, 2009, Ensign audaciously announced his intention to run for re-election in 2012. As the political landscape shifted, he even participated in Sharron Angle's debate preparations for her 2010 challenge against Harry Reid, playing the part of Reid himself. The Las Vegas Sun mused that this act of political theater might permanently damage his already complex relationship with Reid. By November 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal was already cataloging the numerous, and likely insurmountable, "hurdles" to his re-election.

Chairmanship of National Republican Senatorial Committee

Before his personal life became a public spectacle, Ensign was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) for the 2008 election cycle. His primary charge was to lead the Republican effort to retake the Senate. He staffed the committee with Nevada-based political consultants from November Inc., including Mike Slanker and Lindsey Slanker. The effort was an unmitigated failure. In the 2008 elections, the Democrats gained eight seats. The subsequent party switch of Senator Arlen Specter in 2009 handed the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority, a significant setback for the Republican party under Ensign's watch.

Electronic fund-raising reports

In September 2007, Ensign's name became associated with the kind of procedural obstruction that voters loathe. It was revealed that he had used a secret hold—a parliamentary maneuver allowing a single senator to anonymously block a bill—to prevent a vote on legislation that would require senators to file their fundraising reports electronically. Ensign claimed his hold was contingent on first voting on his own amendment, which would force groups petitioning the Senate Ethics Committee to disclose donors giving more than $5,000. Watchdog groups saw this for what it was: a poison pill designed to kill the underlying transparency bill.

2006 re-election campaign

• Main article: 2006 United States Senate election in Nevada

In his 2006 re-election bid, Ensign faced Democrat Jack Carter, the son of former President Jimmy Carter. After both candidates easily dispatched token opposition in their respective primaries, the general election was set. On November 7, 2006, Ensign secured a second term, defeating Carter with 55.36% of the vote to Carter's 40.99%. It would be his last successful campaign.

Resignation

On March 7, 2011, with the Senate Ethics Committee investigation grinding on, Ensign announced he would not seek re-election in 2012. He framed the decision as a desire to spare his family from what he predicted would be an "exceptionally ugly" campaign. "At this point in my life, I have to put my family first," he stated, a familiar refrain from politicians in crisis. The announcement was met with a collective sigh of relief from national Republicans, who understood he stood little chance of surviving a primary, let alone a general election.

The Ethics Committee's 22-month investigation continued. Before its findings could be publicly released, Ensign cut the process short. On April 21, 2011, he announced he would resign from the Senate entirely, effective May 3. He declared that he would "not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings, or especially public hearings." The committee proceeded to release its report anyway, referring the matter to the Department of Justice for investigation of what it termed serious violations of law.

With his resignation, Ensign became the first U.S. Senator from Nevada to resign mid-term, with the minor exception of Alan Bible, who left office seventeen days early to grant his successor a seniority advantage.

Senate committee assignments

During his time in the Senate, Ensign served on the following committees, a list that now reads like a historical record:

Political positions

Abortion

Ensign maintained a consistent anti-abortion voting record, earning high marks from the National Right to Life Committee and, conversely, condemnation from NARAL Pro-Choice America. In 2003, he authored the Child Custody Protection Act, legislation aimed at prohibiting the transport of minors across state lines to circumvent parental involvement laws for abortions.

Animal advocacy

In a departure from a typical conservative profile, Ensign, the veterinarian, was a staunch advocate for animal welfare and considered a key ally of the Humane Society of the United States. He was a lead sponsor of the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, alongside a bipartisan group of senators including Maria Cantwell, Arlen Specter, and Dianne Feinstein. The law elevated the interstate transport of animals for fighting purposes—such as dog fighting and cockfighting—to a felony, providing federal support to existing state laws.

Cuba

Ensign was a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus, aligning himself with the hardline stance against the Cuban government.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy

On December 18, 2010, in one of his final major votes, Ensign voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, helping to end the ban on openly gay and lesbian individuals serving in the U.S. military.

Eminent domain

Ensign was a vocal opponent of the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London, which expanded the power of eminent domain to allow for the seizure of private property for private economic development. He introduced legislation intended to counteract the ruling's effects.

Fiscal issues

Ensign cultivated a reputation as a fiscal conservative. The watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste gave him a 92% lifetime rating as of 2007, placing him among the Senate's most conservative members on spending, alongside senators like Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn, and Jon Kyl. In 2005, he proposed creating a Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies, modeled on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, to identify and eliminate wasteful federal programs. The proposal went nowhere.

Health care reform

Ensign was a steadfast opponent of President Barack Obama's signature health care legislation. He voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009 and the subsequent Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Marriage

The irony here is almost too thick to cut. In 1998, during the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, Ensign was unequivocal in his condemnation of President Bill Clinton, calling for his resignation and stating, "He has no credibility left."

Years later, in 2004, Ensign took to the Senate floor to advocate for the Federal Marriage Amendment, a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide. He declared, "Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded... marriage, and the sanctity of that institution, predates the American Constitution and the founding of our nation." These statements would later be recalled with considerable public mockery.

Prison reform

In 2011, Ensign introduced a bill that would have mandated all low-security federal prisoners to work 50 hours per week, a proposal reflecting a tough-on-crime stance.

Veterans

In April 2008, Ensign voted against a measure to expand federal benefits to Filipino veterans who fought for the United States during World War II. Citing his part-Filipino ancestry made the vote more conspicuous, but he defended his position by arguing that benefits should be prioritized for veterans residing in the United States. The measure passed despite his opposition.

Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

Ensign supported the authorizations for the use of military force that led to the invasion of Afghanistan and the removal of the Taliban in 2001, and the 2002 resolution authorizing military action against Iraq. He remained a supporter of the counterinsurgency policy in Iraq and consistently voted against measures to withdraw troops from the country.

Personal life

During his time at Colorado State, Ensign became a born-again Christian. This faith would become a central part of his public identity. He and his then-wife, Darlene, were active participants in the Promise Keepers, an evangelical men's group. The couple, who have three children, divorced in 2019 after 31 years of marriage.

Ensign is a member of the Pentecostal International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, and during his Senate tenure, he was the only Pentecostal member of that body. While in Washington, D.C., he resided at the C Street Center, a controversial religious house for politically connected individuals. He was also a member of The Fellowship, a secretive and influential Christian organization. Ensign moved out of the C Street house in November 2009, as the sordid details of his affair and its cover-up became public knowledge.

Affair and corruption scandal

• Main article: John Ensign scandal

The story that undid John Ensign's career was a tawdry mix of personal betrayal and political corruption. Between 2007 and 2008, Ensign engaged in an affair with Cynthia Hampton, a staffer for a political action committee supporting his campaigns. Her husband, Doug Hampton, was not only one of Ensign's top administrative aides but also a close friend.

The situation became a concern for Ensign's devout colleagues at the C Street house. In February 2008, Senator Tom Coburn, along with leaders of The Fellowship, Timothy and David Coe, attempted an intervention. They convinced Ensign to write a letter to Cynthia Hampton ending the affair. In a scene that verges on the absurd, Coburn and others reportedly chaperoned Ensign to a FedEx office to ensure the letter was sent. The gesture was utterly meaningless. Hours later, Ensign called Cynthia, told her to disregard the letter, and flew to Nevada to meet her.

When the affair was finally exposed, the subsequent investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Election Commission, and the Senate revealed a frantic and potentially illegal cover-up. The allegations included:

A $96,000 payment from Ensign's parents to the Hamptons, which Doug Hampton characterized as an undeclared severance payment.
Ensign using his influence to secure lobbying work for Doug Hampton, a potential violation of the one-year lobbying ban for former senior Senate staffers.
Ensign actively assisting Hampton in his lobbying efforts, directly intervening with federal agencies on behalf of Hampton's clients.
An additional, and explosive, claim from Doug Hampton that Ensign had sexually harassed his wife.

Faced with this escalating scandal, Ensign first abandoned his re-election campaign on March 7, 2011, and then, on April 21, announced his full resignation effective May 3. A week after he left office, the Senate Ethics Committee released its damning report, referring the case to the Department of Justice for potential criminal investigation. Ultimately, while the DOJ found evidence of wrongdoing, it declined to prosecute Ensign, closing a chapter of public disgrace without legal consequence.

Electoral history

Nevada's 1st congressional district: Results 1994–1996

Year	Democrat	Votes	Pct	Republican	Votes	Pct	3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct	3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct	3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1994	James Bilbray	72,333	48%	John Ensign	73,769	48%	Gary Wood	Libertarian	6,065	4%
1996	Bob Coffin	75,081	44%	John Ensign (inc.)	86,472	50%	Ted Gunderson	Ind. American	4,572	3%	James Dan	Libertarian	3,341	2%	Richard Eidson	Natural Law	3,127	2%

Senate elections in Nevada: Results 1998–2006

Year	Democrat	Votes	Pct	Republican	Votes	Pct	3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct	3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct	3rd Party	Votes	Pct
1998	Harry Reid (inc.)	208,621	48%	John Ensign	208,220	48%	Michael Cloud	Libertarian	8,129	2%	Michael E. Williams	Natural Law	2,781	1%	None of these *	8,113	2%
2000	Edward M. Bernstein	238,260	40%	John Ensign	330,687	55%	Kathryn Rusco	Green	10,286	2%	J. J. Johnson	Libertarian	5,395	1%	None of these *	11,503	2%
2006	Jack Carter	238,796	41%	John Ensign (inc.)	322,501	55%	David K. Schumann	Ind. American	7,774	1%	Brendan Trainor	Libertarian	5,269	1%	None of these *	8,232	1%

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2000, Independent American candidate Ernie Berghof received 2,540 votes; Citizens First candidate Bill Grutzmacher received 1,579 votes; No Vote Cast received 457 votes; and Over Vote received 69 votes.

** Nevada law since 1975 allows dissatisfied voters to vote for "None of These Candidates."