RENO, Nev. (AP) - For Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, campaigning in Nevada is like preaching to the choir.

"I personally get energized by coming to a state like this that loves the message of freedom and limited government and the Constitution," the Texas congressman told reporters Tuesday, amid a two-day campaign trip in Nevada.

Paul's frank talk about cutting back government services is an easy fit in a state with a strong libertarian streak. His push to pull troops out of Iraq, unique among the GOP field, has won him attention.

Paul held large rallies on Monday in southern Nevada, where 1,000 people attended an afternoon event at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, his campaign said. Later Monday, he drew about 600 people to an event in Pahrump, about 60 miles outside Las Vegas.

No Republican in the field has drawn larger crowds in the state, which is poised to play a key role in naming the nominee. Nevada will hold the third GOP caucus in the nation on Jan. 19.

Among Paul's backers Tuesday was brothel owner Denis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch. Hof, the star of an HBO reality series, appeared at a news conference with the candidate.

"Makes a lot of sense, doesn't he?" Hof said, accompanied by two prostitutes.

Paul also was scheduled to attend a private $500-$1,000-a-plate fundraising luncheon followed by a campus rally. He was to wrap up the day meeting with rural GOP leaders in Carson City.

His campaign, considered a long-shot, got a huge boost on Nov. 5, when a grassroots fundraising effort raised more than $4 million, setting a one-day, online GOP fundraising record.

"We will continue, I believe, to grow our campaign exponentially," he said. "Something big is going on."

Paul, a physician, adheres to a strict interpretation of the Constitution. He advocates a return to the gold standard; abolishing the income tax, CIA and Federal Reserve; and replacing government programs with "individual liberty and responsibility."

He's called for a troop withdrawal and believes the U.S. should not be the "policemen of the world."

When asked by a campus reporter for his stance on federal support for college students, Paul said, "In theory, there's no provision in the Constitution to take money from people who don't get to go to college and give it to people who get to go to college."

"It's not fair, it's not legal under the Constitution," he said.

But Paul said he wouldn't abolish college grants immediately. Like other social programs such as Medicare and Social Security, he said he would continue to finance them during a "transition" period by halting foreign aid.

"In order to get the money for any transitional programs - make sure we don't throw anyone out in the streets - I would get rid of the American empire," he said.

But Paul made it clear he doesn't support federally sponsored safety nets, whether they be for health care, retirement or education, believing such programs go beyond the Constitution.

While his direct tone is refreshing, his doctrine of unwavering constitutionalism will likely keep Paul on the fringes of the Republican race for the White House, said Eric Herzik, a Republican and political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.

"The more serious he becomes, say, in the media, in the process, then those questions will be asked and that's where his campaign stalls," Herzik predicted.

--