From the
Kansas City Star:JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Democratic state Sen. Chuck Graham, a symbolic leader of stem cell research supporters, said he is likely to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, who has endorsed legislation to criminalize a certain kind of stem cell research.
Graham, who would be the Democrats' first candidate for the 2006 Senate race, is paralyzed from a teenage car accident and has helped lead the effort against Missouri legislation that would ban a type of stem cell research commonly known as therapeutic cloning.
Talent is a co-sponsor of federal legislation introduced last month by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., that also would make the practice illegal, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a civil fine of at least $1 million.
Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer did not directly comment Wednesday about Graham's potential candidacy, but he said stem cell research "is too important to politicize."
Graham said in an interview that his interest in the race recently spiked from about 10 percent to 75 percent when he learned Talent was sponsoring the anti-cloning legislation and that research supporters were considering an initiative ballot measure to specifically allow therapeutic cloning in Missouri.
"That pumped up my interest in the race enormously," said Graham, of Columbia. "I think it makes it much more winnable, because the vast majority of Missourians are on (my) side" on stem cell research.
But Graham faces at least two barriers in a statewide race: money and name recognition. Talent reported having about $1.35 million in his campaign account as of the end of March. And Graham's state Senate district - his natural political base - covers just two mid-Missouri counties.
