FRANKFORT — Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Jack Conway tried to pin the other with his own previous statements while also trying to clarify some positions they’ve previously taken in a “Measure the Candidates” forum before the Kentucky Farm Bureau on Thursday.

Each made stronger, less equivocal statements on questions that have followed them during their campaign for the U.S. Senate.

“I’m going to go up there and vote for Mitch McConnell to be leader,” Paul said. He previously had hedged about whether he would vote for Kentucky’s senior Republican senator to continue as Senate Republican leader.

 Paul said Conway can’t be trusted on environmental legislation, called cap and trade, because he will vote for Harry Reid, D-Nev., as majority leader. But Paul did not specifically back off earlier statements that farm subsidies are bad and contribute to the national debt.

Conway tried once again to put away the question that haunts him in a state that produces 90 percent of its electricity from coal.

“Sometimes my opponent just makes things up,” Conway said after Paul said Conway was “for cap and trade before he was against it.”

“I don’t support a carbon tax,” Conway went on. “Let me state unequivocally for you here right now: I’m against cap and trade. I’m against cap and trade — because I’m not the type of senator who’s going to be risky or who’s going to go out there and do something that’s not in the best interest of Kentucky.”

Conway claimed Paul “stated unequivocally for the record he wants to do away with the United States Department of Agriculture and he wants to end farm subsidies.” He later said Paul made the statement about USDA to The Courier-Journal on May 8 and two days later said on KET that “farm subsidies are not a good idea.”

“I am not for getting rid of the department of agriculture,” Paul said when it was his turn. He said again Thursday he would cut some USDA programs but he did not name them. He said three unnamed giant agribusinesses receive more than $1 billion in farm subsidies.

Paul said the country is “drowning in a sea of debt” but, “I cannot simply promise you we will keep passing out money” with programs that give these three companies millions of dollars.

David Campbell, a KFB board member from Lincoln County and a registered Democrat who said he sometimes votes Republican, said Kentucky farmers are concerned about Paul’s position on farm subsidies.

“I understand where he’s coming from,” Campbell said. “But he’s also got to understand farm subsidies are a huge issue for Kentucky farmers.”

Paul said the bigger issue for farmers should be support of free trade because American farmers export 25 percent of their products. Paul said the national Democratic Party — led by President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reid — oppose free trade agreements and Conway won’t buck “his union buddies” on free trade.

Conway said he supports the farm bill, noting much of it supports nutritional programs and promised to work with McConnell to pass a bill in 2012 beneficial to Kentucky farmers. He said “Kentucky can’t afford Rand Paul,” calling him “risky” and said the race isn’t about him, Paul “or a national movement, it’s about you” — a common theme in his campaign speeches. He called himself a “fiscal conservative” and said Paul is trying to cast his as someone he’s not.

Paul several times referred to Obama as “his (Conway’s) president.” He and Conway both criticized the Environmental Protection Agency. Paul criticized Conway for saying he would have voted for the health care reform which he said will raise everyone’s health care costs.

Conway said the bill was “not a perfect bill” and he had “misgivings” about it but would have supported it because it extends coverage to 650,000 Kentuckians without insurance. But he said he will introduce legislation to control costs if he’s elected, including allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. Both said they favor extending tax cuts — including the elimination of the estate tax — passed during the administration of George W. Bush and are set to expire this year. That puts Conway at odds with some Senate Democrats but he said Thursday it’s not wise to increase taxes during a recession.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ cnhifrankfort