CGS-authored
Actor Michael J. Fox and conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh pushed stem-cell research into the forefront of political dialogue in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
The barrage of ads and the resulting media coverage are what many voters will remember. But a crucial question remains: Did all of the media attention, the political mudslinging and the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on advertisements play a role in the Democrats' wins?
In Missouri, where a stem-cell initiative campaign cost $30 million, the Democratic challenger for U.S. Senate, Claire McCaskill, won her race by only three percentage points. The stem-cell amendment won by only two points. And in other races around the country where the issue also played out, many Democrats squeaked by with equally narrow margins, despite their party giving stem-cell research top billing and a big shot of advertising money in these districts.
Whether or not the issue factored into this year's election results, voters heard a lot about it. Typically, this would be all to the good. Stem-cell research is complex and important. Unfortunately, the...