Gay marriage loses at US polls, stem cell may win

LOS ANGELES, Nov 8 (Reuters) Voters in seven US states rejected gay wedlock by limiting marriage to unions between a man and a woman in one of the few bright spots for conservative Republicans in otherwise disappointing elections.

But Democrats and liberals were claiming victory on stem cell research and abortion, two major social issues that have polarized US voters in recent years.

A lone stem cell initiative in Missouri was poised to win by a narrow margin, mirroring the nailbiting Senate victory of its main proponent, Democrat Claire McCaskill.

Missouri took center stage in the final weeks of the electoral battle after jarring ads by actor and Parkinson's patient Michael J Fox to support stem cell research. Opponents worry it would lead to human cloning.

In South Dakota, voters favored repealing an abortion law considered the most restrictive in the nation after pro-choice groups campaigned heavily in that state.

As Democrats swept the Republicans out of power in the US House of Representatives and threatened to do the same in the Senate, conservative voters appeared to have turned out to oppose same-sex marriage and possibly help some Republican races.

Republicans had hoped for a repeat of 2004 when conservative voters flocked to the polls to vote against gay marriage and helped secure US President George W Bush's second term.

''You definitely see a lot of turnout and support for these social issues, like limiting marriage,'' said University of Southern California law and politics professor Kareem Crayton.

But he said analysts would need some days to determine if ballot initiatives had motivated people to vote and decided close congressional races.

Of the eight states where marriage amendments were on the ballot, seven -- Virginia, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Tennessee, South Dakota, Colorado and Idaho -- were headed toward opposing gay marriage. But supporters of gay marriage said they were seeing greater numbers voting in favor of their movement.

GAY GROUPS SEE GAINS ''Two years ago we had 11 of these on the ballot, and in only two of them did we do better than 40 per cent,'' said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

''This year there were eight and in at least five of them we did better than 40 per cent.'' Only Arizona voted against its marriage amendment, but analysts said that does not mean voters favor gay marriage.

''They were voting against a measure in the amendment that would have denied benefits to domestic partners,'' said Arizona State University analyst Bruce Merrill.

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