Consultant fired over plagiarism

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke said Friday that she cut ties with a consultant she blames for copying several sections of her jobs plan from platforms of other Democrats.

Burke, a Democrat, has built her campaign around the jobs issue. One of her key arguments is that Republican Gov. Scott Walker doesn’t deserve re-election because he hasn’t lived up to his promise to create 250,000 private-sector jobs, and Wisconsin is trailing other states in adding workers.

Burke said it was her decision to end the campaign’s relationship with consultant Eric Schnurer of the Pennsylvania-based consulting firm Public Works, who provided the material.

Walker and other Republicans accused Burke of plagiarism.

“It’s a sad day for Wisconsin when the Democratic nominee for governor misleads voters by offering a plagiarized jobs plan, in which she has staked her entire candidacy,” Walker campaign manager Stephan Thompson said in a written statement.

Burke said she has no plans to change the material, which she called a small part of the 40-page plan.

Schnurer didn’t immediately respond Friday to phone, email and Twitter messages.

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