Plagiarizing senator folds

[Bob Of Burleson]

Sen. John Walsh quits Montana Senate race

Susan Davis, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Walsh, D-Mont., announced Thursday that he is dropping out of the Senate race after it became clear that he could not overcome the fallout from a plagiarism scandal.

"The 2007 research paper from my time at the U.S. Army War College has become a distraction from the debate you expect and deserve," Walsh said in a statement. "I am ending my campaign so that I can focus on fulfilling the responsibility entrusted to me as your U.S. senator. You deserve someone who will always fight for Montana, and I will."

Walsh is not resigning his Senate seat and will serve out the term that ends in January.

Walsh, an Army veteran, was the Democrats' top 2014 candidate when he was appointed in February to the Senate after Sen. Max Baucus left to serve as U.S. ambassador to China. His appointment was supposed to give him an electoral edge as the incumbent in a tough election climate for Democrats against GOP Rep. Steve Daines.

Daines has consistently led in the polls for the Senate seat.

A New York Times story in late July revealed that Walsh had plagiarized significant amounts of text in a thesis that earned him a master's degree from the Army War College in 2007. The college is conducting a review that could strip him of his degree. Walsh apologized and said it was a mistake and noted that he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder related to his war service.

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