Plagiarist Senator Drops Out of Race

In the wake of a plagiarism scandal, Senator John Walsh of Montana said Thursday that he is pulling out of the race for his seat because his campaign is too distracted by the controversy. The New York Times reported in July that Walsh plagiarized large portions of a U.S. Army War College research paper in 2007 for his graduate degree. Walsh, who was appointed to the seat when Max Baucus quit, will serve out the rest of his term until January 2015. “I am ending my campaign so that I can focus on fulfilling the responsibility entrusted to me as your U.S. senator,” Walsh said in a statement to supporters. “You deserve someone who will always fight for Montana, and I will.”