Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says the federal government needs to tear down barriers and let states do big and bold things with education.
The former Florida governor commended the Nevada Legislature for creating a voucher-style Education Savings Account program during a telephone town hall with Nevada voters on Monday evening.
Bush said there's too much federal regulation in education, and said complying with rules for federal grants consumed massive amounts of state employee time when he was governor. He also said education leaders are too focused on the economic needs of the adults working in schools and not enough on student learning.
Bush is casting himself as a battle-tested leader with specific policy ideas as he tries to catch up with and overtake higher-polling Republicans including Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders brought his core campaign themes to a backyard meet-and-greet in Las Vegas on Monday, continuing a swing through Nevada that included talks with veterans' groups and union members and rallies in Reno and Las Vegas.
In a brief speech before posing for individual photos, the senator from Vermont warned of "dark money" influences in politics and said he would fight for an increase in the minimum hourly wage, battle "income inequality" and appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who would uphold limits on government influence by moneyed interests.
Sanders also, according to the Las Vegas Sun, took time out of his speech to criticize the Nevada Public Utilities Commission for its decision to reduce net metering for solar power consumers.
He said it was "just about the dumbest thing" he had ever heard.
Casey Morell contributed to this report.