Stem-cell filibuster hinges on 6 Democrats

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ANNAPOLIS -- Senate Republicans have put their hopes on six Catholic Democrats to defeat an embryonic stem-cell research bill tomorrow.

But the Catholic voting bloc has cracked, and it appears that a Democratic effort to pick off members of a promised filibuster likely will succeed, sources close to the issue said.

Sen. Roy P. Dyson, Southern Maryland Democrat, looks to be the swing vote, sources said.

Republican leaders were confident Friday that they had at least five solid Democratic votes, in addition to their 14, needed for the 19 required to sustain a filibuster in the 47-member Senate.

"There's no way they can successfully change the bill to pick off our votes," said Senate Minority Leader J. Lowell Stoltzfus, Eastern Shore Republican.

Mr. Stoltzfus acknowledged that the voting bloc of six had likely lost Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr., Prince George's Democrat.

But Mr. Stoltzfus was confident in the votes of Mr. Dyson; Sens. James E. DeGrange Sr. and Philip C. Jimeno, Anne Arundel Democrats; Leo E. Green, Prince George's Democrat; and Norman R. Stone Jr., Baltimore County Democrat.

Four of those senators were solidly in favor of stopping the bill sponsored by Sen. Paula Colodny Hollinger, the Baltimore County Democrat running for Congress, that aims to fund embryonic stem-cell research. "It's life. It's destroying a human embryo," Mr. Jimeno said.

"I don't intend to change my vote." Mr. DeGrange said, "I'm absolutely solid, without question."

Mr. Dyson was noncommittal. When asked if he might budge off a filibuster, he said, "This thing is so fluid right now." He would not answer whether he thinks an embryo is a form of human life.