COLUMBUS — Actor Michael J. Fox on Monday appeared onstage in the hometown of his fictional Republican television character Alex P. Keaton and gave an un-Alex-like stump speech tweaking conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and praising Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown.

Fox, 45, who is fighting Parkinson's Disease, has been stumping for candidates in Missouri, Maryland, Iowa and Wisconsin who endorse embryonic stem cell research. Monday was his first appearance advocating for an Ohio candidate.

"A vote for Sherrod Brown is a vote for hope and a better quality of life for millions of Americans," he said during a visit to the Michael E. Moritz School of Law on Ohio State University's campus.

Brown has repeatedly voted for and supported embryonic stem cell research. DeWine this summer voted against a bill that would allow federal funding for stem cell research.

"The debate is really about whether to spend federal tax dollars to destroy human life," DeWine said in a statement. "I believe human life is sacred, and I can't in good conscience vote to authorize federal money to destroy it."

But DeWine, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to get $1.5 million in 2006 for the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine in Cleveland, a collaborative effort between Ohio hospitals and universities to study adult stem cells.

Advocates of embryonic stem cell research say embryonic cells have greater developmental potential than adult stem cells. Brown on Monday said such research is vital to helping cure disease. "Stem cell research is obviously worth fighting for," he said.

Fox's visit came one week after radio host Limbaugh criticized him for appearing in a commercial for Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill. Limbaugh said Fox appeared to be exaggerating his symptoms for the sake of the television cameras, but later apologized for his comments.

Fox alluded briefly to that controversy Monday.

"As you may know, this last week I had a little run-in with a less-than compassionate conservative," he said. "I guess I'm not supposed to speak until my symptoms go away. Or maybe I'm just supposed to go away. But I'm not going to go away."

Fox has also stumped for a U.S. Senate candidate in Maryland and weighed in on gubernatorial races in Iowa and Wisconsin.