Politics

Republican Sen. Ensign won’t seek re-election

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Republican senator facing an ethics investigation announced Monday he won’t seek re-election.

Senator John Ensign of the conservative-leaning battleground state of Nevada, who is under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee, is the third Republican to announce plans to retire from the Senate. The others are Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona.

Ensign said he decided last week against seeking a third term because he was worried about the effect of a campaign on his family.

He acknowledged in June 2009 that he had an extramarital affair with a former member of his campaign staff, and that he had helped her husband, a member of his congressional staff, obtain lobbying work with a Nevada company.