Minnesota’s Democrat Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan is running for the Senate to replace incumbent Democrat Tina Smith. She is running against Republican former TV sports-reporting personality, Michelle Tafoya.
Due largely to Tafoya’s campaign theme that Flanagan, as second in command to the hapless Tim Walz, bears responsibility for the state’s immense multi-billion dollar welfare fraud scandal, what would otherwise have probably been a solid win for Flanagan has turned into a serious race.
And now we have this, as described in, Zachary Leeman’s article at (of all places, the usually solid-blue) mediaite.com:
Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan is facing accusations of inflating her academic record, thanks to a bombshell Wall Street Journal report.
Flanagan, who is currently Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, said during a 2016 legislative hearing that she “graduated Phi Beta Kappa” at the University of Minnesota, but she is not listed as an honors student in 2002, The Wall Street Journal reported. The university requires a 3.65 GPA for seniors to make the list.
“I graduated Phi Beta Kappa because I saw myself reflected in my teacher and I saw myself reflected in my curriculum,” Flanagan said in 2016 while promoting teaching diversity in schools.
Flanagan’s campaign responded to the Journal after eight days and confirmed that she had not graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
“The lieutenant governor 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,” campaign spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff said.
The report noted that the current lifetime membership fee is $99 and many chapters offer financial assistance.
Flanagan’s team also confirmed that the Democratic candidate did not receive a double major at college despite her state biography stating that she “earned her bachelor’s degree in American Indian studies and child psychology.”
Oops. That’s a 10 year lie about Flanagan’s academic credentials, piggy-backed onto whatever level of responsibility for welfare fraud Michelle Tafoya can successfully saddle her with.
So what does it mean to the voters?
Maybe nothing. Or, maybe something; maybe enough to change the election result.
Remember; this race had already moved from a near-certain Democrat win to a real competition. Is academic fraud, added to welfare fraud, enough to make the reversal complete?
We’ll know in two weeks. Let’s talk then.
