Image via Wikipedia“While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule, or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly, I will 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,” Ensign said in a statement posted on his Web site. “For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great.”
If the Ethics Committe chooses to continue it's investigation after May 3, Ensign may well still be on the hook for his actions after a a sex scandal involving a staffer.
The larger question for me is who will Republican Governor Brian Sandoval appoint to replace Ensign and if this chain of events benefits Sharron Angle, former Republican candidate for Senate.
Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza reports the following in The Fix blog:
Ensign’s resignation would allow Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) to appoint a replacement to serve until the seat is filled in the 2012 election. Rep. Dean Heller, a Republican who is campaigning to succeed Ensign, is the front-runner for the appointment .
If Heller is named to the Senate, there will be a special election to replace him in the sprawling 2nd District. Nevada election law is vague, and officials in the secretary of state’s office are currently researching the rules. In a free-for-all race, Sharron Angle, the 2010 Senate challenger to Harry M. Reid (D), would be considered the early favorite. If state party committees pick the candidates, Angle has less chance of being the Republican nominee.
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