HELENA, Mont. — Montana U.S. Sen. John Walsh dropped his election campaign Thursday amid allegations that he plagiarized large portions of a 2007 research project, leaving fellow Democrats to scramble for a replacement with the election less than three months away.
Nationally the development only improves the odds for Republicans, who need to gain a net of six seats in the election to take control of the Senate. Even before Walsh's exit, strategists in both parties largely considered Montana's Senate race an opportunity to tip one more seat in Republicans' favor.
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