Missouri gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence changed his online biography Thursday to fix a claim about a college economics degree and acknowledged that his campaign also had distributed fliers wrongly asserting that he attended business school at the University of Missouri. 
 
 The biographical adjustments come as Spence _ a St. Louis businessman making his first political campaign _ has been traveling the state trying to ramp up his challenge to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon in 2012 elections. Spence's campaign has emphasized his business acumen. 
 
 Spence, 53, has a degree in home economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia. But the biography on his campaign website originally omitted the word "home" while describing his economics degree _ a fact first reported earlier this week by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Spence acknowledged that the description may have been misleading. 
 
 On Thursday, Spence's website was changed to remove any reference to a degree, stating merely that he attended the University of Missouri-Columbia. Later Thursday, the website was changed again to provide a more elaborate description of his college experience. 
 
 His website biography now states: "After high school, Dave attended the University of Missouri-Columbia where he majored in family economics and management (also known as consumer economics) and earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in Home Economics." 
 
 It wasn't the first time that Spence's biography had to be changed. 
 
 The Associated Press obtained a copy Thursday of a Spence campaign flier that had been distributed at a Republican Party event that Spence attended Dec. 6 in the St. Louis area. The flier claimed: "After high school, Dave attended University of Missouri-Columbia School of Business and earned a degree in Economics." 
 
 But Spence never attended the university's business school. His degree in home economics was awarded through a different school at the university. 
 
 Spence said in emails Thursday to the AP that he didn't know his campaign materials had included the business school claim. 
 
 "I have said all along that I will not or do not lie," Spence said. "A lot of this is overblown, as I was not aware of any place that said business school." 
 
 Spence later added: "I will take responsibility for this. I did not catch the mistake on early campaign literature." 
 
 Spence campaign manager Jared Craighead said the statement about the business school was a "staff oversight that was corrected." The flier distributed in December also listed the wrong dates for when Spence had received awards from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 The Missouri Democratic Party said Thursday that Spence's education assertions are more than mere oversights. 
 
 "If David Spence can't tell the truth about something as basic as his college degree, Missourians shouldn't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. This guy is just shameless," said state Democratic Party spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki. 

 David Spence, 54, recently stepped down as the President of Alpha Packaging after nearly 27 years at the helm. Alpha is a Missouri-based plastics manufacturing company that Dave built from the ground up. Spence secured a loan to buy Alpha in 1985 at the age of 26. At the time, the business had about 15 employees and $350,000 in annual sales. A proven job creator, Dave has led Alpha’s remarkable expansion to over 800 employees and almost $200 million in revenue. He has also served as the Chairman of Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, a Missouri-based company. While quality manufacturing jobs were evaporating across the country, Dave found the formula to break that trend and help provide a good living for hundreds of Missourians. 
 
 Spence was born and raised in Missouri. Dave spent most of his childhood in Overland with his mother and two sisters before moving to Kirkwood. A public school student, he graduated from Kirkwood High School. While still in school, 14-year-old Dave began working at his father’s business sweeping floors and eventually learned every job in the company, from receiving the raw materials to shipping the final product. After high school, Dave attended the University of Missouri-Columbia where he majored in family economics and management (also known as consumer economics) and earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Home Economics. 
 
 Dave believes strongly in the need for quality education to create a skilled workforce and attract new high-paying jobs. With his success in business, Dave has generously given back to several educational causes. Alpha Packaging currently funds more than 20 college scholarships for the children of its employees. Additionally, Spence is a sponsor of a special entrepreneurial study program for students at the Trulaske School of Business at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dave’s wife Suzie, who holds a master’s degree in education from University of Missouri-St. Louis, is also involved in Community Alliance to Reinvigorate Education (CARE). 
 
 Dave and Suzie Spence have been married for 21 years. They live in the St. Louis area with their four teenage children. The Spences are active members of St. Genevieve Du Bois Catholic Church and are involved in numerous church, civic, and charitable organizations. Dave has also won several awards for his business and charitable efforts, including the 2009 Fast Track Award from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce for Alpha Packaging and the 2010 Fast Track Award for Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging. 

 Missouri gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence liked to tout his “economics” degree on his website and at campaign events — but in reality his degree was less about bookkeeping and more about housekeeping. 
 
 Until Thursday, Spence (R) had claimed on his campaign website that he “earned a degree in Economics” from the University of Missouri (screenshot here). But on Tuesday, Jake Wagman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed out that this was a bit of a stretch — Spence’s degree was in home economics. 
 
 From the Dispatch: 
 
 The school says that Spence majored in family economics and management — also called consumer economics —which earned him a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Home Economics in 1981. 
 
 On Thursday, Spence, who is challenging Dem incumbent Jay Nixon, updated his website to include the more accurate information: “After high school, Dave attended the University of Missouri-Columbia where he majored in family economics and management (also known as consumer economics) and earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Home Economics.” 
 
 But it wasn’t just the website. The Associated Press reports that one of his campaign fliers, handed out at a GOP event on December 6, claimed that “after high school, Dave attended University of Missouri-Columbia School of Business and earned a degree in Economics.” 
 
 Spence told the AP that he was unaware of the flier’s claims but that he takes responsibility. “I have said all along that I will not or do not lie,” he said. “A lot of this is overblown, as I was not aware of any place that said business school.”
– Tiny note to political candidates: "Economics" and "home economics" aren't quite the same thing. Missouri gubernatorial contender Dave Spence quickly updated his website this week after reporters discovered that his touted "degree in Economics" was actually a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Home Economics, TPM Muckraker reports. The AP also found Spence campaign fliers that claim he studied at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Business, a school he never attended. "I have said all along that I will not or do not lie," said the Republican candidate. "A lot of this is overblown, as I was not aware of any place that said business school." He later added: "I will take responsibility for this. I did not catch the mistake on early campaign literature." A state Democratic Party spokeswoman seems unconvinced: "Missourians shouldn't believe a word that comes out of his mouth," she said. "This guy is just shameless."