The Montana Senate seat currently held by John Walsh was already in jeapordy even before Walsh self-destructed after being charged with plagiarizing his masters thesis.

But with Walsh's retirement, the state party was forced to hold a convention this weekend and have plucked from obscurity a little known state Rep. from Butte.

Amanda Curtis has no name recognition, no money, and very little hope.

But she's a woman, so Democrats are excited.

Fox News:

Montana Democrats on Saturday picked a little-known state legislator as their replacement candidate in the November elections, after incumbent Sen. John Walsh quit amid a plagiarism scandal. 

Delegates voted for state Rep. Amanda Curtis, of Butte, in a special nominating convention in Helena.

Curtis, who is also a teacher, defeated rancher Dirk Adams and will face GOP challenger Rep. Steve Daines and Libertarian candidate Roger Roots in the November general elections.

Walsh had faced an uphill climb in the race against Daines, a first-term congressman who has raised more than $4.4 million in his Senate bid.

Daines is expected to have an even bigger advantage over Curtis, now that Walsh has dropped out over allegations he plagiarized a 2007 U.S. Army War College research paper.

Republicans need a net win of six seats to take control of the Senate, with most political analysts putting Montana in their “likely” win column.

Daines had been ahead in most statewide polls by about 10 points prior to the plagiarism allegations and is now considered the overwhelming front-runner in the race.

Walsh officially dropped out of the race Aug. 7 after being dogged by allegations he lifted parts of his master’s thesis.

The national Democratic party will not pour much money into this race, and most of their big donors will avoid it too. Curtis is a sacrificial lamb being led to the slaughter.