Nevada ? Democrat Jack Carter, the son of the former president, kicked off his U.S. Senate campaign Monday by calling for a return to “our American values.”

Carter, a 58-year-old investment consultant in Las Vegas, is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. John Ensign in his first bid for elected office.

“The singular difference between the junior senator and me is he works for the Bush administration and I want to work for Nevada,” Carter said at a union hall outside Las Vegas, accompanied by his parents, former President Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter.

The former president did not address the crowd and told reporters his son “doesn’t need any help from me.” But, he added, he planned to help raise money for the campaign.