Senator Quits Montana Race After Charge Of Plagiarism

WASHINGTON - Under pressure from Democrats, Senator John Walsh of Montana, who has served in office for just six months, said on Thursday that he was dropping his election bid, clearing the path for his party to nominate a new candidate.

'I am ending my campaign so that I can focus on fulfilling the responsibility entrusted to me as your U.S. senator,' Mr. Walsh said in a statement to supporters reported by The Billings Gazette. 'You deserve someone who will always fight for Montana, and I will.'

Mr. Walsh met with his campaign manager on Wednesday night to discuss the decision, then told campaign supporters on Thursday that he would step aside.

Mr. Walsh, who was appointed to his office in February after Senator Max Baucus was named ambassador to China, will keep his seat through the end of this year. Montana Democrats have until Aug. 21 - when statewide candidates are certified on the ballot -to replace him.

His withdrawal from the race comes about two weeks after The New York Times reported that in 2007 Mr. Walsh had plagiarized large sections of the final paper he completed to earn his master's degree at the prestigious Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.

Monday is the deadline for Montana candidates to withdraw from the general election.

Two Montana Democrats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the party was eyeing Nancy Keenan, a former head of Naral Pro-Choice America, to become the party's nominee this fall against the Republican nominee, Representative Steve Daines. Ms. Keenan has had conversations about the prospect with state Democrats, but she did not return messages seeking comment.

A Montana native, Ms. Keenan left her post with Naral and returned to the Missoula area last year. She previously served as Montana's superintendent of public instruction and also has served as a state representative.

One Democrat in the state noted that Ms. Keenan had a 'national profile and national network' that would help her raise money quickly to give the party at least a chance to make the race competitive. Though Montana is a conservative-leaning state, it leans more libertarian on social issues like abortion.

With Mr. Walsh as the candidate, independent analysts had rated the seat a likely pickup for the Republicans. While Ms. Keenan, if nominated, may not ultimately be able to retain the seat first won by Mr. Baucus in 1978, strategists believe that she would at least draw financial support and not be a drag on the rest of the party's ticket. With Mr. Daines vacating his House post to run for the Senate, Democrats believe they have a chance to pick up the state's at-large House seat. A number of contested state legislative contests are also on the ballot.

Democrats in Washington and Montana had concluded that Mr. Walsh had virtually no chance to win. He was mum for much of this week, canceling public events and discussing his decision with his family.

After initially denying his plagiarism when confronted with evidence outside his office last month, Mr. Walsh suggested after The Times published the article that stress from his tour of combat in Iraq had played a part in his appropriating the work of others.

Last week, however, he said that the effects of his military service had not played a part, and indicated that he took 'full responsibility' for his behavior.

Still, the reaction in his home state was swift and negative. Two Montana newspapers published editorials on Sunday urging him to stop campaigning.

The Billings Gazette said such a decision would represent 'the honorable course,' and The Missoulian went further, saying he should drop out and let his party replace him. Candidates in Montana have until Aug. 11 to take their names off the ballot.

'The bottom line is, Montanans simply cannot - and won't - trust a senator who portrayed the words and ideas of others as his own for his own personal gain,' the Missoulian editorial said.

The War College commenced its own investigation into Mr. Walsh immediately after the Times article was published, and it made a preliminary conclusion that there was evidence of plagiarism. An academic review board at the college will convene next month to reach a conclusive determination, a decision that could result in the senator's losing his degree.