Also during the above-referenced meeting, Sen. John Ensign reportedly said that Gov. Jim Gibbons probably couldn’t get re-elected next year and took credit for recruiting Brian Sandoval into the GOP primary race which already features former North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon and former state Sen. Joe Heck.
Which ticked off all the Gibbons supporters.
Which ticked off all the Heck supporters.
And which really ticked off the Montandon supporters.
Indeed, get a load of this blistering statement issued by the Montandon campaign Wednesday after the details of Ensign’s private meeting went public:
“U.S. Sen. John Ensign displayed bad judgment when he had an affair with his best friend’s wife and now he’s displaying more bad judgment in his endorsement and recruitment of Brian Sandoval for Governor. Brian Sandoval is quitting his job as Federal Judge, which will give President Obama and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid the opportunity to appoint another liberal judge to the Federal bench. It is a sad day when our scandal-plagued Republican Senator uses his influence to give President Obama the opportunity to appoint another liberal judge.
“As head of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2008, John Ensign lost nine Republican U.S. Senate seats, including the seat in Minnesota to a Saturday Night Live comedian. Clearly, Sen. Ensign’s campaign team is not up to the task of keeping a Republican in the Governor’s Mansion. I welcome the opportunity to put my vision of the New Nevada up against Sen. Ensign’s old way of doing business.”
Hotchie motchie!!
Oh, and Ensign also appears to have ticked off the guy he claims he recruited.
“For the record, in case Ensign tries to deny it, two attendees at that meeting told me Ensign took credit for helping to get Sandoval into the race,” John Ralston reports. “This is, as a source close to Sandoval confirms, a wild exaggeration. Ensign, like many other GOP leaders, talked to the judge about the race. But his impact (if any) was more along the lines of Sandoval fearing Ensign’s scandal might hurt him if he ran, not ‘John says I should run so I will.’”
By the way, this isn’t the first time John Ensign has recruited a moderate GOP candidate to run against a conservative Republican.
Recall that back in 2006 Ensign recruited John Jackson to run against conservative state Sen. Sandee Tiffany. After spending a half-million dollars to fend off the primary challenge, Tiffany was unable to raise enough money to hold onto her seat in the general election. State Senate District 5 is now represented by Democrat Joyce Woodhouse for one reason and one reason only:
John Ensign.
Indeed, John Ensign has a lot to apologize for. His affair with another man’s wife, however, is at the bottom of the list for Republicans.
