Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama celebrates in Chicago with wife Michelle after his victory. He defeated Republican Alan Keys in the first Senate race between two African-American candidates. (Reuters)

San Francisco, Nov. 3 (Reuters): US voters in 11 states overwhelmingly rejected gay marriage, one of several issue-oriented ballots held in parallel with the presidential election.

Addressing issues that went beyond the Iraq war, California also backed a $6-billion measure to fund stem cell research in the voting on Tuesday and rejected measures that would have expanded gambling in the nation?s most populous state.

Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Michigan, North Dakota, Arkansas, Montana, Utah and Oklahoma solidly backed state constitutional amendments to define marriage as a union between man and a woman.

Oregon, where more than 3,000 same-sex couples married in March, was backing a similar amendment by a smaller margin. Earlier, more than 4,000 gay couples had married in San Francisco. California?s Supreme Court latter ruled that mayor Gavin Newsom exceeded his authority in allowing the weddings.

?There was obviously an agenda by the cultural conservatives to make this a wedge issue in the campaign,? Newsom said. ?It failed to reach the intensity that they had hoped for. Nonetheless it is obviously indicative of the mood of the public.? He said it would take a while to get public approval for gay marriage, as with inter-racial marriage years ago.

Activists have spent hundreds of millions of dollars ? an estimated $200 million in California alone ? on 163 state voter initiatives in 34 states.

In some states, television stations have aired relentless initiative advertising. The late actor Christopher Reeve spoke for California?s stem cell initiative allocating $3 billion for research.

?Please support Prop 71. And stand up for those who can?t,? he said.

One recurring issue in the state initiatives are casinos. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped easily defeat two measures related to Indian gaming by arguing: ?The Indians are ripping us off.?

?When the people flex their muscles, the state gets much stronger,? the former bodybuilder said.?Now, let's party.?

California voters rejected two measures to ease sentencing for criminals who have committed three crimes and to require smaller firms to pay health care costs for workers.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties in south Florida were considering whether to allow slot machines at racing establishments. With more than 98 percent of the votes counted, 49.9 percent backed such gaming in a race even closer than the presidential election.

Floridians backed a measure that would require minors to gain parental consent to get an abortion, and a boost in the minimum wage to $6.15, a dollar above the national level.

Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to hike taxes on a pack of cigarettes to 84 cents from 20 cents. Montana backed medical marijuana.

Alabama appeared poised to include the promotion of shrimp in its state constitution, as did Louisiana to enshrine the right to hunt and fish. Initial results showed Alaskan voters rejected a measure that would have outlawed using food to bait bears out of the woods for photography or hunting.