Tight Mo. race over stem cell research

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Missouri's referendum to protect embryonic stem cell research in the state Constitution was too close to call early Wednesday.

While early vote returns Tuesday showed a slim majority of Missouri voters opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment protecting stem cell research, the measure "squeaked to a narrow lead" early Wednesday as more votes were counted in the state's big urban areas, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The newspaper said voters in rural counties and smaller cities tended to oppose the measure, with the majority of support clustered in urban St. Louis County and Kansas City.