John Ensign in Nevada 2006 Senate Debate

On Environment: Fought Yucca Mountain so it might never become reality

Q: If your environmental record is that good, why did the League of Conservation Voters give you a failing grade?

ENSIGN: This is typical of a Washington special interest group that doesn’t understand our state. I’ve gotten awards from wilderness groups in our state, for legislation I co-authored. Washington tries to put us in boxes. They try to score things to make things a partisan issue. The League of Conservation Voters is a very partisan group.

CARTER: The League of Conservation Voters really pay attention to what’s going on. You can always do one thing over here and another over there, but people who really pay attention know who is standing for what. It’s a significant deficiency that the Senator has.

On Foreign Policy: Kim Jong Il is a dangerous lunatic

CARTER: My father knows what he’s talking about. Let me ask you a question that Ronald Reagan asked some years. When you look at this Axis of Evil, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

ENSIGN: I didn’t know we were running for president tonight, but I guess that’s ok. I believe this North Korea issue is a very, very serious issue. To have Kim Jong Il have a nuclear weapon is very dangerous, not just for what he would have himself, but also because he’s becoming friends with people like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and the leader of Iran. These are dangerous, dangerous people in the world and we cannot afford them to get nuclear weapons. The leader of North Korea, he’s a lunatic, and what he would do with one is very dangerous.

On Immigration: Don’t forgive illegals of felonies nor pay them benefits

ENSIGN: John McCain is wrong and anyone else who voted against that amendment is wrong because we have people who are here illegally, who stole the identities of American citizens. The Senate bill would not only allow people who stole social security numbers to be forgiven of felonies, but they would be allowed to collect past Social Security benefits. To me that was wrong and that’s why I offered that Amendment.

CARTER: Immigration has become a political football. I’m a businessman. I want to have a solution to this problem instead of rolling it over. We need to get a pathway to citizenship and making sure they pay some sort of fine and then going through. This can be done in one year if we face the ting in a direct way.

On Principles & Values: Carter gets more campaign money from California than Nevada

CARTER: People should elect me because I’m going to refocus the government on we the people instead of the special interests.

ENSIGN: My opponent has actually raised more money in California than he has in Nevada. He says he wants to be Nevada’s voice in Washington, but if Nevadans aren’t supporting him how can he be Nevada’s voice in Washington?

On Principles & Values: Nevadans need Nevada leaders with Nevada roots