nv_sen_ENSIGN

REP. JOHN ENSIGN

· Six-term Republican Rep. John Ensign was elected to the U.S. House in 1984. He left the his management position in the familyÂ's business, the Gold Strike and Nevada Landing Hotel, to campaign for the seat.

· Prior to his work in gaming, Ensign opened an around-the-clock veterinary hospital in Las Vegas.

· His 1984 victory over incumbent Rep. James Bilbray was an upset. Ensign was outspent throughout the campaign, but financial support from the gaming industry helped him stay competitive and charges of a conflict of interest in the Bilbray campaign spelled victory.

· One month before the election, voters learned a Bilbray consultant would make a $7 million profit if BilbrayÂ's legislation expanding Red Rock Canyon cleared Congress. The expansion was signed into law days before the election and Bilbray was ousted.

· In the House, Ensign has responded to constituent concerns. He campaigned against a planned nuclear waste disposal site on Yucca Mountain, located 95 miles from Las Vegas. He successfully persuaded House Republican from bring the issue to the floor suggested alternative sites.

· Ensign may have been a political neophyte when he joined the House, but he soon learned his way - forming a Gaming Caucus. On the Ways and Means Committee, he voted to make long-term care expenses tax deductible. While he agrees with most issues in the Contract with Amrica, he urged Newt Gingrich to separate the Medicare and Welfare Reform issues.