Democratic Senator John Walsh withdraws from Montana senate race

U.S. Senator John Walsh, a Democrat, has withdrawn from the Montana race for the Senate after he was found guilty of plagiarizing large portions of the thesis he submitted for his master's degree from the United States Army War College.

Walsh's withdrawal comes just three months before the November election, leaving the national and Montana Democratic Party in a tight spot.

The Wire reports that the move comes after Walsh cancelled two campaign events following the calls of two local newspapers that he withdraw from the race.

Montana Democrats will have until August 20 to find a replacement for Walsh. It is not clear who would run in his place. The most viable candidate, former governor Brian Schweitzer has so far said that he will not run.

In a statement by Walsh, he described the plagiarism issue as a "distraction" that diverted attention away from the real issues that should be the focus of the campaign.

Walsh also said his decision to quit the race was motivated by a desire to focus his energies on serving the people of Montana in the U.S. Senate.

The focus of the thesis Walsh plagiarized was advancing democracy to help meet and secure other national security prerogatives. Each of the six policy proscriptions laid out by Walsh in his 14-page paper, "The Case for Democracy as a Long Term National Strategy," are nearly identical to a similar paper written on the idea by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Walsh served in the Montana National Guard for 33 years. As a member of the guard, he fought during the Iraq War from 2004-2005. President Barack Obama appointed Walsh to his senate seat. This is because the previous senator, Max Baucus was nominated to be the ambassador to China.