Non-partisan gubernatorial candidate Ryan Bundy has made a name for himself across the American West for his anti-establishment views and helping to lead armed standoffs against the federal government over land-use issues. While many see him as a controversial figure, others see him as a hero who may be well-suited to lead the state for the next four years.
KUNR's Paul Boger sat down with Bundy to discuss his stance on some of the biggest issues facing the state, including education.
"The responsibility to educate belongs to the parents; it doesn't belong to the state or to the federal government," Bundy said. "The state, of course, can aid the individual, the parents, in helping with that. I see that whatever monies that are being allocated to the education of students should be placed in the hands of the parents to be used at their discretion whether they choose to homeschool, send to a private school, to a charter school, whatever type of school."
Many voters in Nevada have also listed healthcare as one of their top concerns heading into election day. When asked if programs like Medicaid should be expanded, Bundy said that healthcare should be an individual's responsibility:
"Those are socialistic type programs that I don't necessarily agree with. I can see some good they do, and I can also see a lot of confusion and harm they cause in the medical industry," Bundy said. "I think because of them, medical costs have risen [and] that there's a lot of corruption and fraud that takes place because of them, but yet I can see a lot of people rely on those things for their healthcare benefits. It's not something that can be dropped easily or quickly, but I still believe that medical care is an individual responsibility."
We also spoke to Democratic Nominee Steve Sisolak. KUNR reached out to the Republican nominee Adam Laxalt for an interview as well, but his campaign has yet to respond. We interviewed Laxalt before the primary, though, and you can check out that interview here.
