Peggy Flanagan, the reigning Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and the Democrat Senate candidate from the state, has become the center of a political storm ahead of the November midterms after a Wall Street Journal report claimed she may have lied about her academic degree.
WSJ reported Wednesday that contrary to Flanagan’s claim about graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Minnesota (UNM) – an honor that requires a 3.65 GPA at the end of senior year- the university records do not list her among the honorees.
The report harks back to a statement that Flanagan made in 2016 at a school event promoting teaching diversity. “I graduated Phi Beta Kappa because I saw myself reflected in my teacher and I saw myself reflected in my curriculum,” she had said then.
However, according to the Wall Street Journal, the list of graduates from 2002 – the year of Peggy Flanagan’s graduation from UNM – does not document her as one of the recipients of the Phi Beta Kappa honor.
After the revelation, Peggy Flanagan’s campaign admitted that she never received the Phi Beta Kappa honors in 2002. A spokesperson of Flanagan’s campaign said to WSJ that the 47-year-old was nominated for Phi Beta Kappa, “but like too many other students, she couldn’t afford the application fees to become a part of the honor society.”
Peggy Flanagan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Indian studies in 2022, her campaign and bio on state websites state. According to the Wall Street Journal, the fees to join Phi Beta Kappa in 2002 were $99. Some chapters also offer financial assistance.
Will The Revelation Impact Minnesota Senate Race?
Peggy Flanagan, who defeated Angie Craig in the Democrat primary to earn the party’s Senate ticket in the US midterm elections, had maintained a comfortable lead over her opponent from the GOP, former sports commentator Michele Tafoya. But starting this week, there might have been a shift.
A poll conducted between October 8 and October 12 by KTSP and SurveyUSA showed that Peggy Flanagan was ahead by a narrow margin of two percentage points, which was within the error margin of the report.
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But on Tuesday, October 20, the Cook Political Report moved its rating for the seat from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat” – something that will raise concerns given Minnesota is a Democrat stronghold.
The WSJ report comes at a time when Peggy Flanagan’s approval seems to be declining sharply following a televised debate between the two candidates on Friday, October 16.