The 2006 United States Senate election in Nevada was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican John Ensign defeated Democratic nominee Jack Carter to win re-election to a second term.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
John Ensign, incumbent U.S. Senator
Defeated in primary
Ed Hamilton, businessman
Results
Democratic primary
Popular Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman had said in January 2006 that he would probably run, but decisively ruled out a run in late April. Going into the 2006 cycle, many top Nevada Democrats such as State Assembly speaker Richard Perkins indicated that the party would put more efforts into the gubernatorial election than into defeating Ensign.
Candidates
Nominee
Jack Carter, Navy veteran and son of President Jimmy Carter
Defeated in primary
Ruby Jee Tun, middle school science teacher
Declined to run
Oscar Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas
Frankie Sue Del Papa, Attorney General of Nevada
Dina Titus, member of the Nevada Senate (ran for Governor)
Results
General election
Candidates
Jack Carter (D), Navy veteran and son of President Jimmy Carter
John Ensign (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
David Schumann (I), retired financial analyst, 2004 nominee, and 2002 state senator nominee Brendan Trainor (L), state party chair, airline quality manager, and frequent candidate
Campaign
Carter's advantages included his formidable speaking abilities and kinship with a former U.S. President. On the other hand, Ensign was also considered to be an effective speaker and as of the first quarter of 2006, held an approximately 5-1 advantage over Carter in cash-on-hand.
Debates
Complete video of debate, October 15, 2006
Endorsements
Predictions
Polling
Results
Ensign won a majority of the votes in every county in the state, with his lowest percentage at 53%.