Ensign not seeking re-election

LAS VEGAS, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., announced in Las Vegas Monday he will not see a third term in 2012.

Ensign is facing a Senate Ethics Committee investigation stemming from an affair with Cynthia Hampton, a former aide's wife in 2009, The aide, Doug Hampton, said Ensign helped him find work as a lobbyist and Ensign's parents gave the Hamptons nearly $100,000, KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, reported.

"I know I disappointed a lot of people through this," Ensign, who turns 53 this month, told a news conference. "At this point in my life, I have to put my family first." He said the decision not to run was a difficult one.

The ethics committee is trying to determine whether Ensign broke any Senate rules.

Ensign's decision brings to eight the number of senators -- three of them Republicans -- not seeking re-election.

In December, the Justice Department declined to prefer criminal charges against Ensign in an investigation into whether the money given to the Hampton family amounted to an illegal campaign contribution.