U.S. Senate hopefuls stress independence

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Two candidates in key – and very close – U.S. Senate races distanced themselves from less popular members of their parties in interviews Sunday.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Pat Toomey, the Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, objected to Democratic opponent Joe Sestak's attempts to tie him to Republican Christine O'Donnell in neighboring Delaware.

Sestak, he said, "is so worried about his own record, he's trying to run against somebody that I've never met, that I don't agree with."

Gov. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the Democratic Senate candidate there, cited healthcare and energy policy as differences with the Obama administration.

Manchin said he supports some provisions of the health coverage law, but objects to "the mandates. Also, the firewall's not strong enough for abortions. I'm pro-life," he said.

He also repeated his opposition to cap-and-trade energy legislation.

"Twenty years ago we had what we called acid rain, if you recall," he said. "We were able to fix acid rain. We didn't tax coal. We didn't legislate or regulate coal out of existence. Coal basically transformed using scrubbers and technology. ... We can do the same thing with CO2."