Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola is facing serious allegations after a New York Times investigation published Wednesday described a pattern of angry outbursts, physical abuse, and the use of homophobic and derogatory slurs during her time in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Nine former staffers, granted anonymity, spoke to the Times for the report. Among the allegations, four former staff members said they directly heard Peltola use the word “f*ggot,” including in reference to members of her own staff. Former aides and text messages reviewed by the Times also show she used the word “retarded.” Her campaign has denied the slur allegations.
The entire Democratic Party is in shambles and high ranking Democrats like Nancy Pelosi must be livid.
Shoving Incident and High Staff Turnover
According to the report, Peltola shoved a male staffer in her office over a missing meeting memo, Mary Peltola misconduct allegations “causing him to stumble backward, according to a person who was there and two others who heard about the incident soon after, as well as text messages sent at the time.” The aide left the office shortly after the incident.
Her office accumulated one of the highest staff turnover rates in Congress during her term. She also missed hundreds of votes throughout her time in elected office. Low morale has reportedly spread to her current Senate campaign, prompting Washington Democrats to intervene by firing two long-time aides and demoting her chief of staff.
Texts About Planned Parenthood and Campaign Fallout
Text messages cited in the Times report show Peltola writing “FUCK THOSE BITCHES” about Planned Parenthood after a vote on a defense bill, and separately writing about a local Planned Parenthood board member, “I hope she dies of a botched abortion.” The organization has not endorsed her 2026 campaign. In another text, she wrote “Fuck that retard” after a commercial fisheries executive posted a selfie with her, despite Peltola making local fishing interests a centerpiece of her campaign. She did not sponsor a single fishing-related bill during her one term in Congress.
Peltola’s campaign attributed her conduct to personal tragedy, noting that her mother and husband both died in 2023. “Like any person who has gone through multiple personal tragedies in the span of a few months, Mary sometimes struggled to deal with her grief,” spokesman Harry Child said in a statement.
Republican Rivals Call for Apology
Senate Leadership Fund Executive Director Alex Latcham issued a sharp response to the report. Mary Peltola’s closest aides describe a routine history of physical violence, explosive anger, and utter disdain for Alaskans, which makes her entirely unfit for the U.S. Senate,” Latcham said. “Peltola’s deeply offensive and disturbing comments do not represent the Alaska way and she must publicly apologize to her staff and the people of Alaska.”
Peltola is running against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in November, and polling shows the race remains close. The allegations now threaten to reshape a competitive contest that both parties have identified as a key Senate battleground.
