Fox visit shows how stem cells are tangled up with Senate race
2006-10-05
Source: St. Louis Today
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rss feedActor Michael J. Fox will be in town today and is expected to make a pitch for stem cell research.
But the event in question isn't for Amendment 2, the ballot proposal to protect embryonic stem cell research allowed under federal law. Although Fox's foundation has endorsed the amendment, he'll be here to headline a fundraiser for state Auditor Claire McCaskill, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.
Shortly after Fox's visit was first announced, behind-the-scenes talk indicated that the chief pro-Amendment 2 group, the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, might try to set up a separate event. That didn't happen, and coalition officials deny that any such effort was made.
Still, such speculation underscored the coalition's delicate dance as it seeks to avoid getting swept into Missouri's hot U.S. Senate contest between McCaskill and Republican incumbent Jim Talent. That's become more difficult since McCaskill staked out her support for the amendment and Talent announced his opposition.
Said coalition chairman Donn Rubin: "The only dance we're doing is the nonpartisan dance. ... Amendment 2 stands on its own merits. There is no reason for the stem cell initiative to get intertwined with partisan politics."
Many of the coalition's most prominent supporters are among Missouri's top Republicans, including former U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth and Harbour Group chairman Sam Fox. Both have said publicly that they support Talent's re-election, even though he disagrees with them on Amendment 2.
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