BRADENTON — Republican Congressman Connie Mack IV didn’t waste any time Wednesday during a campaign swing into Bradenton: He got right to bashing his Democratic opponent, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

Mack told a crowd at Republican Party of Manatee headquarters that this is an important election.

He accused Nelson of saying one thing in Florida, and then doing something else in Washington, D.C., such as voting for what Republicans call “Obamacare,” also known as the Affordable Care Act, a reform of the health insurance system.

Nelson had advocated ending the nation’s dependency on foreign oil, but opposed drilling, Mack told the group, adding, “That doesn’t even make sense.”

Mack, of Fort Myers, vowed to support the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, connecting Canada with the U.S., and to fight for energy independence so the U.S. does not have to buy oil from adversaries like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.