Republican candidate for governor Scott Walker. (PHOTO: Andrew Beckett)
The Republican candidate for governor is avoiding questions on whether he’d pursue a ban on embryonic stem cell research.
A campaign attack ad from Democratic candidate for governor Tom Barrett claims Republican opponent Scott Walker wants to ban stem cell research in Wisconsin. Walker says the ad is an outright lie, since he fully supports continued research using adult stem cells.
However, when pressed by reporters in Madison Tuesday, Walker steered the conversation away from questions on how he would handle ongoing research in the state that uses embryonic stem cells. Walker would only say that the focus and the money behind adult stem cells, not embryonic.
The UW-Madison has invested heavily in conducting research using embryonic stem cells and several private companies focusing on stem cell technologies have moved to Wisconsin because of support from the state.
Democratic candidate Tom Barrett says Walker’s approach could shutdown profitable businesses already operating in the state. The Milwaukee Mayor also says it’s phony for Walker to claim that embryonic stem cell research doesn’t matter.