Chris Flanagan

Christopher Richard Flanagan is an American politician who serves as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 1st Barnstable district, representing Brewster, Dennis, and Yarmouth. Flanagan has represented the district since 2023.

In April 2025, he was indicted on federal charges of wire fraud and falsification of records; prosecutors allege that he misappropriated money from the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod when he worked for the association.

Career

Flanagan was born in Easton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Emmanuel College in 2010 and received a master of degree from the Naval War College.

He served two terms on the select board of the Town of Dennis; he was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2020, and served as chair of the board. He flipped a seat previously held by Republican Tim Whelan, who decided not to seek reelection to the House and instead made an unsuccessful bid for Barnstable County sheriff. After taking office in 2023, Flanagan became a member of the House Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.

In 2024, Flanagan admitted to have created a fictitious person ("Jeanne Louise") whose name was used on a campaign fliers sent to voters in 2022 on behalf of a group named "Conservatives for Dennis"; following an Office of Campaign and Political Finance investigation, Flanagan accepted responsibility for the campaign finance law violation; he paid a personal penalty of $9,000 and his campaign paid a $6,000 penalty.

From 2019 to 2024, Flanagan was an executive officer for the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, a trade association. In September 2024, the association complained to authorities about Flanagan, whom they accused of misappropriation and fraud. The existence of the investigation was publicly reported in January 2025.