Standoff leader Ryan Bundy to run for Nevada governor

LAS VEGAS (AP) – A leader of two high-profile armed standoffs with U.S. agents whose Bundy ranching family has decried federal ownership of public land says he’ll mount an independent campaign for Nevada governor.

Ryan Bundy said Thursday that he doesn’t think other candidates running to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval would properly protect states’ rights.

The 45-year-old son of Cliven Bundy says he intends to file candidacy papers next Wednesday in Las Vegas and embark on a statewide speaking tour.

Ryan Bundy has won criminal cases over armed confrontations in two states. U.S. charges were dropped in January against him, his father and his brother Ammon in a 2014 standoff in Nevada over a roundup of Bundy cattle.

The brothers also were acquitted after leading a 2016 takeover of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon.

The Nevada Independent was first to report Bundy’s planned candidacy.