Independent candidate Ryan Bundy isn’t thinking about dropping out of the governor’s race.

Recent polls show the famed 45-year-old anti-government activist and militia movement icon may be able to siphon off just enough conservative votes to spoil GOP nominee Adam Laxalt’s electoral chances in Nevada’s hard-fought governor’s race. That’s raised questions about whether Laxalt, now locked in a razor-thin race with Democrat Steve Sisolak, might try to coax Bundy out of the contest.

But Bundy said Laxalt hasn’t asked him to drop his governor bid.

That isn’t to say he wouldn’t consider such a proposal, under the right circumstances.

More:Ryan Bundy, son of controversial Nevada rancher, announces bid for governor

Related:Bundy blasts federal authorities, denies political ambitions in Sparks convention speech

"I’ve suggested to them that for me to support Laxalt, I’d have to be confident in him that he would protect Nevada and Nevada’s people," Bundy told the Reno Gazette Journal ahead of a Tuesday candidate forum in Reno. “He has failed to do that in the past, in his current position.

“So I say if Adam Laxalt were to come to my house, meet with me face-to-face, and bring something that would gain my confidence that he would protect Nevada and Nevada’s people, I may consider supporting him. But he’s made no effort to do so, and I have no confidence in him.”

Bundy declined to name several people who he said had asked him to exit the race. Ballots have already been printed and there would be no way to remove Bundy's name if he decided to suspend his campaign.

The rookie political candidate first rose to prominence amid a tense, heavily armed standoff with government agents at his family’s Southern Nevada ranch in 2014. He added to his national profile two years later, when he helped lead another well-armed clash with federal authorities at the seized headquarters of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, near Burns, Ore.

A two-year jail stint stemming from that showdown only bolstered Bundy’s standing as a folk hero in some conservative libertarian circles. It also helped shore up a small but rabid voter base that’s embraced an eccentric campaign message centered around state’s rights, gun rights and bureaucracy-bashing, alongside a heavy dose of Christian-influenced constitutionalism.

There were no shortage of such supporters on hand for Bundy’s forum appearance. The event was hosted by the Washoe County Republican Assembly, a Tea Party offshoot of the county’s establishment GOP committee that proudly bills itself as the “Republican branch of the Republican party.”

Assembly members spent a half-hour battering a Laxalt campaign representative with unfriendly questions before offering a much warmer welcome to Bundy, who had been delayed on his 8-hour drive from Mesquite.

The self-proclaimed “Battle Born constitutionalist” made no secret of his desire to rid Nevada of the Bureau of Land Management, the agency tasked with overseeing some 70 percent of the state’s land, including long-contested acreage in and around Bundy’s family ranch. He leaned heavily on his own jail experiences in calling out the “thousands” of citizens he felt had been wrongfully detained by the government.

Bundy — donning a bolo tie under a wide-brimmed cowboy hat — made quick work of several public lands questions lobbed his way. He took his time with questions about immigration and education, cautiously outlining his belief in school choice and heightened border security measures. He joked, seemingly, about building a wall to separate California and Nevada.

But early on, Bundy made it clear he didn’t join the governor’s race to weigh in on well-worn policy debates. He said he entered it for the same reason he’s so far stayed in it: God.

The federal government, he explained, had fabricated charges against him and other militia movement members who led the Malheur occupation in Oregon. It was evident, he said, that the authorities wanted them dead.

He sought answers through prayer.

“Because of what I’ve experienced and witnessed, and because there’s still some of us who were wrongfully convicted, I knelt and prayed and asked my father in heaven: ‘What can I do to put a stop to this madness?’” Bundy told forum attendees. “The answer came: ‘Run for governor.’”

“I don’t claim to know all the answers, but I’ll listen to my father in heaven when he speaks, and I will protect your rights.”

Nevadans head to the polls to pick their next governor in a general election scheduled for Nov. 6.

A Suffolk/RGJ poll conducted last month shows Sisolak held a 2 percentage point advantage over Laxalt in the hotly contested race. A similar survey in July found Laxalt had less than a 1 percentage point lead over Sisolak.

About 4 percent of likely voters polled in September said they were leaning toward, or planned to vote for, Bundy. Libertarian candidate Jared Lord picked up another 5 percent of respondents.

Losing a combined 9 percent of potential Republican voters to a third party candidate could thwart Laxalt's hopes in a tight race, though the GOP nominee has repeatedly said he's focused on Sisolak ahead of the general election.