Montana Sen. John E. Walsh’s re-election bid just got a bit tougher, as two newspapers from his home state have called on him to quit or at least stop campaigning.
Mr. Walsh is currently engulfed in a plagiarism scandal, accused of lifting at least one-third of the final thesis that earned him a master’s degree at the United States Army War College in 2007.
“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,” read an editorial in the Missoulian. “And since Montanans deserve a true choice between candidates this November, Walsh should bow out of the Senate race immediately. With each passing day that Walsh remains in the race, Montana Democrats lose time to replace him with a more viable candidate.”
The Billings-Gazette also joined the call for Mr. Walsh to step aside.
The plagiarism scandal “has destroyed our faith in him,” the newspaper opined, clarifying that editors don’t want him to outright drop his bid, but rather quit campaigning and, in effect, cede the race to GOP opponent Rep. Steve Daines.
“Having repeatedly said that he wants to do the honorable thing, Walsh should stop campaigning and do his utmost to serve Montanans well in the remainder of his brief Senate appointment,” the paper wrote. “That is the honorable course.”
Mr. Walsh met with members of both newspapers’ editorial boards last week to make his case, but to no avail.
The Billings Gazette concluded: “Walsh is finished as a U.S. Senate candidate.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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