Cornyn won't commit to endorsing Ensign

[ccharles000]

The chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) pointedly refused to endorse the reelection prospects of embattled Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who faces voters in 2012.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who succeeded Ensign atop the GOP's Senate campaign arm, told reporters Wednesday he would not comment on races next cycle. Cornyn said Republicans have been giving Ensign space since he admitted in June to having an affair with a close family friend who worked on his campaign.

"Sen. Ensign and his family and everybody involved have been through a very tough time, and I think all of us have tried to give him and his family and all involved the space to work through that," Cornyn said when asked whether he would support Ensign's bid for a third term.

Ensign's office refused the chance to comment on Cornyn's statement.

Cornyn's comments came two days after Nevada political analyst Jon Ralston posted e-mails between four key figures in the affair, suggesting that top Ensign aides were aware of the matter nearly a year before they admitted to knowing about it.

In the e-mails, Mike Slanker, who ran the NRSC when Ensign was chairman, expresses sympathy for Doug Hampton, the husband of the woman with whom Ensign had the affair and himself a former top Ensign aide. Slanker's wife, Lindsey, also expresses her sympathy in an e-mail to Cindy Hampton.

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/cornyn-wont-commit-to-endorsing-ensign-2009-08-05.html