Ensign eyes key Republican post

Wednesday, June 22, 2005 | 9:46 a.m.

SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., is maneuvering to win a Senate Republican leadership post next year.

Ensign, along with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., were eyeing the No. 3 and No. 4 jobs in the Senate GOP caucus -- the conference and policy chairmanships. The jobs would be up for grabs after the 2006 elections when Republican senators elect their leaders.

To avoid a fight, Ensign agreed not to run against Hutchison for the policy chairman's seat and to instead run for the No. 5 job, conference vice chairman.

"Leadership fights are always a pain," Ensign said.

So far, the three senators are running unopposed for the three jobs.

To sweeten the deal for Ensign, Hutchison and Kyl agreed that the vice chairman's post would be given an expanded role and more money for staff and resources, Ensign said. The job also would entail more policy-developing responsibilities than it typically does, Ensign said.

Being part of the leadership circle helps Nevada, he said.

"I wanted to be in the room when policy decisions were made," Ensign said.

The Republican Conference is the official organization of the Senate's 55 Republicans and its chairmen coordinate the party's message with each. The chairman, currently Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., sometimes acts as spokesman for the party and organizes regular closed-door meetings.

The job of the policy chairman, currently Kyl, is typically to coordinate with other Senate leaders in designing and developing policy principles for the party.

The top GOP Senate leaders are Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.