DeGette, Musgrave in spotlight

M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 17, 2006 at midnight

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WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette and Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave are often described as the left and right ends of the state's congressional delegation.

DeGette comes from a liberal-leaning, urban district of Denver. Musgrave comes from the conservative, rural territory of Eastern Colorado. They vote on the same side roughly one quarter of the time.

But on Tuesday, they'll have lots in common.

Each will be in the spotlight leading the charge for legislation with national ramifications.

The U.S. Senate is to vote on DeGette's bill expanding embryonic stem-cell research. Meanwhile, in the U.S. House of Representatives, Musgrave will be advocating for her proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Both women expect to get majority support.

And in the end, both votes are expected to be, at best, symbolic.

President Bush is expected to use his first-ever veto to block DeGette's embryonic stem-cell research bill, which passed the House more than a year ago. DeGette admits it will be an uphill battle trying to muster the two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress needed to override the veto.

"This is not just some wedge issue like flag burning. This is medical research that could save millions of lives," she said.

No matter what happens, DeGette vows to push on.

Likewise, Musgrave has virtually no chance of seeing her marriage amendment forwarded to the states for ratification this year. It drew only 49 votes — far short of the required two-thirds majority — in the U.S. Senate earlier this year.

With this week's vote, Musgrave merely hopes to keep momentum on the issue moving forward after her amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman got a 227-186 vote in the House in 2004, also short of the needed two-thirds majority.

"It got a majority last time. I expect that majority will grow this time," Musgrave chief of staff Guy Short said Friday.

"The primary reason the congresswoman introduced it is the overwhelming majority of her constituents believe in it and asked her to reintroduce it," he said.

Both Colorado congresswomen are watching their issues land on the national agenda right in the middle of a hotly contested, mid-term election season.

DeGette, who has formed a political action committee to push for candidates who share her belief in embryonic stem-cell research, believes there is wide, public support for expanding research into deadly conditions like diabetes, spinal cord injuries and others.

She predicts the issue could sway some congressional districts around the country. In Colorado's 7th District, Democratic hopeful Ed Perlmutter already is running television ads (featuring his epileptic daughter) and touting his support for expanded research.

But the stem cell issue also riles opponents of abortion who equate experimentation on embryos as the destruction of human life. That means it also could motivate those voters to turn out in greater numbers.

Musgrave's proposed marriage amendment could have a similar effect, and it's certain to be used in drives to draw religious conservatives to the polls, as it was used to great effect in 2004.

Short said politics was not Musgrave's motivation for pushing for a House vote.

"By virtue of the fact that you're a member of Congress, a bill you introduce is political," Short said. "This one happens to be bipartisan in terms of its support in Congress and its bipartisan support from the American people."

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