 Ensign had been re-elected in 2006 over Jack Carter, son of former president Jimmy Carter, by a margin of 55–41%.Ensign's re-election campaign was expected to be complicated after it was revealed in 2009 that he had been involved in an extramarital affair with the wife of one of his campaign staffers, allegedly made payments to the woman's family and arranged work for her husband to cover himself.Ensign faced an investigation from the Senate Ethics Committee and his poll numbers declined significantly.