Former Rep. Ensign tries for first GOP Senate win in Nevada in 12 years

Scott Sonner

Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2000 | 7 a.m.

RENO - Former Republican Rep. John Ensign, who nearly knocked off a senior Democratic senator two years ago, said he was feeling good about his chances of winning a U.S. Senate seat for the GOP for the first time in Nevada since 1988.

Ensign, 42, a veterinarian and son of a casino mogul, enjoyed a comfortable double-digit lead in a newspaper poll last week over Democrat Ed Bernstein in the bid to succeed retiring Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev.

Ensign won the first of two House races in the 1994 Republican wave that made Newt Gingrich speaker. He came within one-tenth of 1 percent of defeating Democratic Sen. Harry Reid two years ago in a recount that stretched into December.

"It's really been four years we've been running," Ensign said as he watched early returns with GOP faithful at the Peppermill Hotel-Casino in Reno.

"Everywhere I've been around the state, the crowds have been huge. Our volunteer base dwarfed our volunteer base of last time. It's truly been overwhelming," he said.

"We feel very good about our race tonight. But we're not taking anything for granted. You don't want to get cocky."