Ensign's Supportr

among Republicans is quickly going into the crapper with the latest revelations about those payoffs--er, gifts--to his mistress and her husband.

In Nevada, recently retired state Sen. Warren Hardy called Ensign a “good guy who made a mistake” and said that he could seek and receive forgiveness from supporters.

But he also said supporters are feeling raw.

Hardy is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an important part of Ensign’s base of social conservatives.

“There was a lot of disappointment in the community,” Hardy said. “That’s sacrosanct to the LDS community — marriage and family. There’s a lot of disappointment.”

Ensign was so valued among the members of the LDS Church that a few members mistakenly believed Ensign was one of them, Hardy said.

“There’s a willingness to forgive and move on,” he said. “But they want to have some indication of what happened and why. You need answers to move on.”