Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) would desperately like to be the majority leader again, but a new scandal is engulfing a Democratic candidate who had a decent shot of beating the GOP incumbent.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola is facing allegations from former aides who say she subjected staff members to angry outbursts, offensive language and, in one instance, physical contact — accusations surfacing as she battles Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in one of the country’s closely watched Senate races.
The allegations were detailed Wednesday in a New York Times report based on interviews with current and former Peltola employees, some of whom described a volatile working environment during her time in Congress and her current Senate campaign.
Former aides alleged that Peltola frequently became angry with staff, sometimes yelling, swearing or sending profanity-laced messages. Four former staff members told the Times that they heard Peltola use an anti-gay slur during her years in public office, including when referring to employees. Peltola’s campaign strongly denied that allegation.
The Times also obtained a text message in which Peltola used a derogatory term for people with intellectual disabilities while complaining about a commercial fishing executive. Her campaign acknowledged that message, saying Peltola now recognizes the term as inappropriate and regrets using it. Other allegations involved Peltola’s treatment of employees while she represented Alaska in the House.
One former aide alleged that Peltola shoved him in the chest during a confrontation in her congressional office in 2024, causing him to stumble backward. Peltola’s campaign disputed that characterization, saying she accidentally collided with the employee rather than intentionally pushing him.
Former aides also described episodes in which Peltola allegedly knocked papers from her desk in frustration and erupted over relatively routine workplace problems. Some staff members told the Times that the atmosphere became stressful enough that employees cried at work, discussed quitting or sought therapy. Alaska Public Media reported that text messages obtained by the Times corroborated portions of the former employees’ accounts.
The allegations have extended into Peltola’s current Senate campaign. According to the Times reporting, a staff shake-up shortly before Alaska’s August primary followed tensions inside the campaign. One incident reportedly began after Peltola sent an all-capital-letters message complaining that her campaign did not have enough large signs in Southeast Alaska.
Peltola’s campaign rejected the suggestion that the incidents establish a broader pattern of mistreating employees.
