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Senator John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, on Tuesday admitted that he had an extramarital affair with a member of his campaign staff.

Mr. Ensign led the Republicans’ campaign efforts in 2008 and had been contemplating a run for president in 2012.

An aide said the consensual affair took place between December 2007 and August 2008, and that the woman worked for both Mr. Ensign’s campaign operation, Ensign for Senate, as well as a conservative political action committee, Battleborn PAC, from December 2006 to May 2008. Mr. Ensign is honorary chairman of the PAC. The woman’s husband was a member of Mr. Ensign’s official Senate staff. Neither has worked for the senator since May 2008, the aide said.

Here is a video of his statement, broadcast on a CBS affiliate in Nevada:



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Mr. Ensign, 51, is married and has three children. During college at Colorado State University, he became a born-again Christian and he and his wife, Darlene, were active in the Promise Keepers, an evangelical group.

In a statement released by his office in Washington, Mr. Ensign said: “I take full responsibility for my actions. I know that I have deeply hurt and disappointed my wife, my children, my family, my friends, my staff and the people of Nevada who believed in me not just as a legislator but as a person. I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions.”



Mr. Ensign’s wife also issued a statement, reaffirming her commitment to her husband: “Since we found out last year we have worked through the situation and we have come to a reconciliation. This has been difficult on both families. With the help of our family and close friends our marriage has become stronger. I love my husband.”

Mr. Ensign is a veterinarian and owned two animal hospitals in Las Vegas before entering politics. He was elected to the House in 1994, and to the Senate in 2000 and again in 2006.

The Democratic majority leader, Harry Reid, who is Nevada’s senior senator, issued a statement expressing concern for his fellow Nevadan. “This is a very personal matter,” a spokesman, Jon Summers, said in a statement. “Senator Reid’s thoughts are with Senator Ensign and his family as they go through this difficult time.”