Flanagan campaign says she never joined Phi Beta Kappa

Program: child psychology major; campaign: American Indian studies minor, no double major

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s Democratic U.S. Senate campaign acknowledged that she was never a member of Phi Beta Kappa, despite her earlier public claim that she “graduated Phi Beta Kappa.” The Wall Street Journal reported the acknowledgment on Oct. 21, as Flanagan, the Democratic nominee, faced former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya in a close race.

The Wall Street Journal asked Flanagan’s campaign on Oct. 12 for information proving her membership in Phi Beta Kappa, which the newspaper described as what is often called the nation’s oldest and the most exclusive honor society. The newspaper also told the campaign that Phi Beta Kappa’s headquarters could release any membership records that might exist with her permission. Eight days later, the campaign acknowledged that she had never belonged to the society.

The Wall Street Journal reported that a commencement program for Flanagan’s class of 2002 did not list her as an honors student, although it highlighted students with GPAs of 3.5 or higher. The newspaper also reported that the University of Minnesota’s current GPA threshold for Phi Beta Kappa is 3.65 for a senior.

Campaign spokeswoman Alexandra Fetissoff explained the acknowledgment in a statement: “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.” The Wall Street Journal reported that the current lifetime membership fee at the University of Minnesota was $99, although it was likely considerably lower more than two decades ago. The newspaper also said many chapters waive the fee or make other accommodations in cases of financial hardship.

Flanagan’s campaign also acknowledged that she did not complete a double major. Her official state biography states that she “earned her bachelor’s degree in American Indian studies and child psychology.” Her College of Liberal Arts commencement program lists child psychology as her major, while her campaign says she received a minor in American Indian studies.

Peggy Flanagan made the Phi Beta Kappa claim while serving in the Minnesota House. At a March 2016 legislative hearing, she argued for legislation to encourage greater teacher diversity in Minnesota’s public schools and said college teaching diversity transformed her from a high-school graduate with a 1.75 grade-point average to a University of Minnesota honors student. “Everything changed, there was a switch, something clicked,” Flanagan said during the hearing.

She continued: “I graduated Phi Beta Kappa because I saw myself reflected in my teacher and I saw myself reflected in my curriculum.”

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Flanagan had highlighted an Ojibwe father who was not part of her upbringing in suburban Minneapolis. In 2016, she said it was not until her sophomore year at the University of Minnesota that she had a teacher she felt looked like her. The paper said an emphasis on her Native American ties had been central to her political brand since she first ran for public office two years after graduating from college, when she sold herself in 2004 as potentially the first Native American member of the Minneapolis School Board.

Flanagan faces former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya in a close race. The latest polling cited by The Wall Street Journal showed the Democrat leading by three or four percentage points. On Tuesday, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the race to “lean Democrat,” one notch short of a tossup.

Flanagan emerged from the Minnesota Senate primary previewed in Minnesota Senate primary pits Democratic factions as GOP seeks to end drought and is now the Democratic nominee facing Michele Tafoya. The academic-history acknowledgments are a development in that continuing Senate contest.