Minnesota’s Democratic U.S. Senate nominee and current Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has faced scrutiny for inaccurately claiming she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious honor society, despite never being a member. Additionally, her official state biography states she completed two college majors, when she actually earned one major and a minor, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The Journal reported on October 21 that Flanagan stated her Phi Beta Kappa membership during a legislative hearing in March 2016 while pushing for laws to boost teacher diversity in Minnesota’s public schools.
While serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives, she mentioned that having diverse college instructors positively influenced her academic success after graduating high school with a GPA of 1.75.
“Everything changed; there was a switch, something clicked,” Flanagan recalled during the hearing. “I graduated Phi Beta Kappa because I saw myself reflected in my teacher and I saw myself reflected in my curriculum.”
Yet, the Journal found that her commencement program from the University of Minnesota in 2002 did not label her as an honors student, even though graduates with GPAs of at least 3.5 were acknowledged.
The publication also noted that the university currently requires a 3.65 GPA for seniors who wish to join Phi Beta Kappa.
On October 12, the Journal reached out to Flanagan’s campaign for proof of her Phi Beta Kappa membership, highlighting that the society is one of the oldest and most selective in the country.
The campaign was informed that with Flanagan’s consent, Phi Beta Kappa’s headquarters could provide membership records. However, eight days later, the campaign conceded that she had never been a member.
“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 told the Journal.
As reported, the current lifetime membership fee for Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Minnesota is $99, though it was likely lower when Flanagan was in college more than 20 years ago.
The Journal added that many chapters waive membership fees or provide support for financially struggling students.
Flanagan’s campaign response suggests she was nominated but never became a member, contrasting with her earlier claim that she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
The Journal also highlighted discrepancies related to Flanagan’s educational background in her official biography. It claims she “earned her bachelor’s degree in American Indian studies and child psychology,” implying a double major.
However, Flanagan’s College of Liberal Arts commencement program designated child psychology as her sole major with American Indian studies listed as a minor, a detail confirmed by her campaign.
Additionally, Flanagan has recently come under fire regarding Medicaid overpayments associated with her tribe. A state audit in 2019 revealed over $29 million in overpayments to the White Earth Nation and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe for opioid addiction treatment programs over ten years, with some payments made after the state deemed them illegal. Flanagan labeled the repayment demands as “unacceptable,” though the report found no established fraud by the tribes or her involvement in the repayment issues.
Breitbart News reported on October 5 that a separate audit of Flanagan’s office identified 12 financial management issues, including unrecovered employee overpayments and improper vendor payments. Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson criticized these findings, asserting that they contributed to broader fraud issues in state government.
Furthermore, Breitbart News indicated that Flanagan and Gov. Walz appointed Trahern Pollard to Minnesota’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee in 2021. Minneapolis had paid his nonprofit nearly $2 million for violence prevention services. In 2026, Minnesota’s Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against Pollard, claiming he and another individual misappropriated over $6.5 million from nonprofit assets, although there was no evidence implicating Flanagan.
On October 20, Breitbart News reported Flanagan’s commitment to additional funding for culturally relevant treatments at a Somali American Coalition event, along with promoting a $1.5 billion housing initiative and a $200 million proposal for organizations serving minority and immigrant communities. While she emphasized community investment, she did not detail specific recipients or funding amounts for the culturally relevant treatments, and her promises surfaced amid ongoing fraud investigations regarding Minnesota’s taxpayer-funded programs.
