Son of former president to challenge Ensign in 2006

[gldstwmn]

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho...s/3689378.html

Jack Carter, the son of former President Carter, said Tuesday he plans to run against John Ensign for the U.S. Senate next year.

Carter, 58, and his wife, Elizabeth, have lived in Las Vegas since 2003, operating the investment consulting firm Carter Global.

"I'm very seriously exploring it," Carter said in an interview Tuesday. "I had not planned to run for office. I have no infrastructure and this is new to me."

Carter said he decided to run in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He said he was offended by the federal government's response to the disaster.

"I'm more concerned than ever with the way that the country is headed," Carter said.

Sources told the Review-Journal that Carter will meet next week with Sen. Harry Reid's staff to discuss the race. Reid, the Senate minority leader, has had a good working relationship with Ensign, the Republican completing his first term in office. Not only do the two senators' staffs work closely on Nevada issues, the two have forged a solid and collegial relationship.

Although Ensign did technically offer an endorsement of GOP candidate Richard Ziser against Reid last year, he did not aggressively campaign against Reid.

Reid has also reserved criticism of Ensign, whose 428-vote loss to Reid in a 1998 race showed his formidable statewide appeal.

Carter described himself as "a pragmatist."

"I think the federal government does some things better than the private sector," Carter said.

He said he is a social liberal with conservative Southern roots and a business background that taught him "you pay for what you spend."

Carter was born in 1947 in Portsmouth, Va., the eldest child of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. Raised in Georgia, he maintains a soft drawl and a close bond with his father, the 39th president, who served from 1977 to 1981.

"Yes, I talked to him about it," Carter said of the Senate bid. "He thinks I'd be good at it."

Elizabeth Carter chimed in: "So do I."

The couple has been married since 1992 and lived for several years in Bermuda and Chicago before settling in Las Vegas and buying a condominium. They attend the Summerlin Community Baptist Church.

His name has previously been floated for political office in Nevada. An effort last year was made to recruit him to run against Republican Congressman Jon Porter. Carter said at the time that since he was new to the area, "I didn't think it would be polite."

State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, had also urged him to run in 2006 against Republican state Sen. Barbara Cegavske, since he lives in the district.

"He's low-key, charming and smart, and his wife would be encouraging, not discouraging," Titus said in a 2004 interview.

Carter was in his late 20s when his father won the presidency and did not live in the White House.

Ensign, 47, is a former veterinarian who served two terms in Congress before his 1998 bid against Reid.

He stayed on the political scene and won the Senate seat vacated by Democrat Richard Bryan in 2000.

Ensign has been working to help fellow Senate Republicans and GOP candidates for the Senate to improve his chances for a future spot in his party's leadership.