Summary: Melissa Howard, who faked a college degree, has dropped out of the race for the Florida house.

Body: Basically she claimed to have a degree from Miami University in Ohio, as well as being a successful and strong business woman. A publication called her out on not having completed the degree. She stated her mom had it in storage, flew to Ohio to get it, and posed with a photo, then promptly blamed the entire episode on misinformation spread by her political rival, Tommy Gregory. Miami University then pointed out that they don't offer the degree pictured, the names of the signatories were wrong, and that they don't have any records of her graduating. Her campaign imploded at that point.

Here are a few choice bits from Floridapolitics.com on the situation:

"The biggest: Why lie in the first place?

Howard is by all accounts a successful person. She runs a medical trade show business with her husband that reportedly pulls in enough money for them to have five employees other than themselves on payroll."

Based on five minutes of Google research that means the husband runs the company and she does whatever she does and claims success.

"Senate District 8, which has one of the highest levels of educational attainment in the state Legislature, had no qualms electing Sen. Keith Perry, a successful businessman who skipped college altogether."

Read the part about 'successful businessman' and you get it. He'd already demonstrated competence which is what a lot of people are looking for.

"Howard has defrauded Republican voters out of having a choice."

Now that's and interesting take. If she'd been honest and upfront about it, this wouldn't be an issue. As it stands, you could argue that she's taken a spot from someone who may have been more qualified and she did it by deception.

At this point her Facebook and Twitter accounts have been taken down, too.

Lessons Learned: This situation could have been avoided easily, but her natural impulse was to ignore it and try to lie her way out when she got caught. AWALT.

Bonus: Before dropping out, she claimed the diploma scandal was the result of a 'mistake' on her part.