A presidential candidate has finally answered a question about Nevada’s brothel business that Heard on the Hill first asked in August 2015.  

Speaking before an event in Elko, Sen. Marco Rubio. R-Fla., told reporters that he would not make prostitution a federal crime. The practice is legal in much of rural Nevada, where brothels continue to operate in the open.  

“I wish Nevada would make it illegal. But that’s their decision to make. I don’t agree with it,” the Florida Republican said, according to CBS Las Vegas and other outlets in attendance.  

Rubio, though, does not want to add it to the list of federal offenses.  

“I think you can be against something and still say, ‘but I don’t want the federal government involved in federalizing something,'” Rubio said.  

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has spoken against prostitution, including arguing that the practice could have hurt chances to bring the Republican National Convention to Las Vegas. One of the state’s legal brothels issued a statement responding to Reid.  

Heard on the Hill contacted several presidential campaigns, including those of current senators, as far back and August and again ahead of last fall’s Democratic debate in the state, to glean their stance on making prostitution a federal crime. It was a query that went unanswered all around.

Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.