Republican congressional candidate Vaughn Ward has fired his campaign manager in an effort to recover from a series of embarrassing missteps that have threatened his challenge to first-term Idaho Democrat Walt Minnick. Ward, who spent this week fighting allegations that he plagiarized language on his campaign website and explaining his failure to vote in the 2008 election, plans to appoint an interim campaign manager to replace Ryan O'Barto, a former aide to Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter. He will also hire a press secretary with experience working in the office of former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig/Politico. More here. And: Eye On Boise post here.

• Marines contradict Ward re: misuse of uniform in campaign ad/Dan Popkey, Statesman

Question: Is this move enough to get Ward's campaign train back on track? Or too little too late?