Alaska Democrat Senate candidate Mary Peltola was the subject of a devastating New York Times profile on Wednesday, September 23 which described a pattern of angry outbursts, physical abuse, and slurs for years while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Peltola is now running against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in November in a contest polling shows continues to be close.
According to the explosive story, former aides describe “angry and profane outbursts.” In one instance she is said to have shoved an aide according to a former staffer who was present and two others who were told about it at the time. Additionally, four former staff members said they directly heard her use the word “faggot” over the years, even about her own staff members, which her campaign has denied. She also used the word “retarded,” according to former aides and text messages viewed by the newspaper.
The report talked to a total of nine former staffers who were granted anonymity.
Her office amassed one of the highest turnover rates in Congress during her term, and she has missed hundreds of votes throughout her time in elected office.
The campaign issued a statement in response to the story, attributing her behavior to personal tragedy. Peltola’s mother and husband died in 2023:
“At the time of their passing, Mary was parenting kids through their own grief, serving full-time in the U.S. House of Representatives thousands of miles from home, and running a competitive re-election campaign — all while shouldering the enormous burden of grief,” said spokesman Harry Child. “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.”
The report states Peltola shoved a male staffer in her office over a missing meeting memo, “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 unnamed aide departed the office soon after.
In another instance, Peltola wrote, “FUCK THOSE BITCHES” about Planned Parenthood after her vote on a defense bill. “I hope Planned Parenthood knows that if we don’t win it’s more their loss than ours,” she added.
She also wrote in a text referring to a woman serving on the board of a local Planned Parenthood chapter, “I hope she dies of a botched abortion.” The pro-abortion organization has not endorsed her 2026 campaign.
Peltola additionally texted, “Fuck that retard” after a selfie photo was posted by a commercial fisheries executive with the former representative. She has attempted to make local fishing interests a key part of her campaign despite not sponsoring a single bill related to fishing during her one term in Congress.
Low morale has also plagued the campaign, the report said, leading to an effort from Washington Democrats to overhaul the effort, firing two long-time aides and demoting her chief of staff.
Senate Leadership Fund Executive Director Alex Latcham said in a statement on the story, “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. 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.”
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