Saving Senator Ensign

(Chuck Muth) – I hate to admit it, but the folks over at the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) raise a legitimate point about Republican U.S. Senate candidates Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian when it comes to defending scandal-ridden Sen. John Ensign. They put this out this week:

Republican U.S. Senate candidates Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian have both shown embattled Senator John Ensign never-ending support since he revealed that he had an affair with a former staffer’s wife last summer. Already under investigation by the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee, Ensign is now under investigation by the FBI, which is a sign that Ensign could potentially face criminal charges over the scandal. With Ensign in hot water, are Lowden and Tarkanian now changing their tune on supporting him? Background is below:

* Tarkanian was quoted in a September news report saying he would welcome Ensign’s support. Yesterday, Tarkanian indicated that this could change by saying his position “obviously changes” if Ensign’s case “has gotten to be more serious.” Referring to the FBI investigation, Tarkanian said, “I am assuming this is another step making it more serious.”

* Lowden, who was campaigning in Searchlight, said it was good that the Ensign investigation was going forward. She said “I think it should be fully investigated so that once and for all he is cleared of all charges. If the charges are true, he should follow what he has said to others before, and he should step down.”

As long as John Ensign continues to cling to his seat – I mean, the people’s seat – attacks such as the above from Democrats will dog each and every Republican candidate for every office up and down the ballot for the duration of the 2010 campaign cycle.

Wanna talk about jobs, the economy, health care or education? Forget about it. Instead you have to talk about the latest shoe to drop in the ongoing and never-ending Ensign scandal.

The question is, which of the state’s top GOP candidates – Lowden, Tarkanian, Sandoval, Gibbons, Angle, Chachas, Montandon, Amodei, Heck, (Krolicki?) – is going to be the first to finally say the emperor has no clothes and call for Ensign to resign?