Paul meets rancher Cliven Bundy

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) met rancher Cliven Bundy on Monday, along with several dozen supporters and land rights activists during a presidential campaign swing through Nevada.

{mosads}The Associated Press reported the two met at a stop northeast of Las Vegas, where Paul fielded questions on public land control, a major issue in the state, where much land is owned by the federal government.

“I think almost all land use issues and animal issues, endangered species issues, ought to be handled at the state level,” Paul told the AP.

“I think that the government shouldn’t interfere with state decisions, so if a state decides to have medical marijuana or something like that, it should be respected as a state decision,” he added.

Bundy made headlines last year and became the face of a land rights standoff with the Bureau of Land Management, which says the rancher owes more than $1 million in grazing fees over 20 years.

“In general, I think we’re in tune with each other,” Bundy told the AP. “I don’t think we need to ask Washington, D.C., for this land. It’s our land.”