Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate nominee in Alaska, has been accused by former staffers of launching “profane outbursts” and directing hateful language at aides as she attempts to win a seat that has traditionally favored Republicans.
Peltola, a former congresswoman, is viewed as a slight favorite in the race and could become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Alaska since 2008.
But a lengthy New York Times report, based on accounts from nine anonymous former staffers, portrays her as prone to anger. The allegations include claims that she shoved a male aide and made crude remarks about Planned Parenthood.
The alleged shoving incident reportedly occurred in February 2024, when Peltola could not find a memo before a meeting. The aide left the job soon afterward. One staffer said to have been in the room and two others who learned about the episode later confirmed the account.
Peltola’s campaign rejected the description of a shoving match, saying she had accidentally “bumped the aide.” The campaign also cited the emotional circumstances surrounding the first birthday of her husband, Eugene, after his death in a 2023 plane crash.
The report also described her reaction to an advertisement featuring her posing with a commercial fisheries executive. Referring to the executive, she allegedly used an ableist slur and said, “honestly, I nothing him,” a reference to the television show Scrubs.
Her campaign told The Times that she regretted using the word and understood that it was inappropriate.
At least four former staffers also alleged that they heard Peltola use an anti-gay slur, a claim her campaign denied.
Former staffers have accused Alaska Senate Democratic nominee Mary Peltola (pictured) of profane outbursts and using hateful language toward aides as she seeks to flip the traditionally Republican seat
Peltola and her opponent, Dan Sullivan (pictured left), are set to face off in what could become one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests
Peltola has also reportedly clashed with Planned Parenthood, a prominent liberal and pro-choice advocacy organization.
In 2024, she allegedly sent an angry text to staff after they criticized her vote in favor of a bill containing anti-abortion policies.
“I hope Planned Parenthood knows that if we don’t win it’s more their loss than ours. F**K THOSE B****ES,” she allegedly wrote.
She later allegedly directed another angry message at a woman on the board of her local Planned Parenthood chapter, writing: “I hope she dies of a botched abortion.”
Planned Parenthood has not endorsed Peltola’s Senate campaign, despite backing her in previous races.
Former staffers further claimed that Peltola sometimes became enraged over minor issues, including how aides dressed in cold weather and campaign social media posts she had not approved.
They also described unusual requests, including asking staffers to find live crickets for her pet chameleon, Meatball.
Peltola eventually began bringing the chameleon to her Capitol Hill office. When the crickets escaped, staffers reportedly tried to catch them with folders and paper cups.
Peltola, a former congresswoman, is considered a slight favorite to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Alaska since 2008
Peltola’s campaign denied allegations of abusive behavior and attributed much of it to the grief surrounding her husband’s death in 2023. Pictured: Peltola with her family, including her late husband
Her behavior is blamed for Peltola having one of the highest rates of staff turnover during her time in Congress, with some complaining of being driven to tears, losing weight or going to therapy for the stress of their working environment.
That has continued into her Senate campaign, firing several staffers just a few days before her successful primary after she blew up over a ‘seemingly minor disagreement.’
The major staff turnover came after Peltola became irate over a lack of large campaign signs, texting aides: ‘OUR SIGN GAME IS F**KED.’
After a consultant from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was called in to help with staffing issues and improve morale, several aides heard from campaign lawyers that they were fired or demoted.
In addition to the responses to individual incidents, Peltola’s campaign denied any abusive behavior but admitted that she had trouble coping with her husband’s death.
‘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,’ campaign spokesman Harry Child told the Times.
‘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.’
However, Child called the abuse allegations from the staffers ‘exaggerating and outright lying’ and that she treated her employees ‘with respect and care.’
Dan S Sullivan (R) and Mary Peltola (D)
Her behavior is blamed for Peltola having one of the highest rates of staff turnover during her time in Congress, with some complaining of being driven to tears, losing weight or going to therapy for the stress of their working environment
The Times spoke to multiple staffers who said that the environment was far from abusive and that Peltola was a good boss.
‘Mary Peltola is one of the finest human beings that I’ve ever worked for,’ said 2022 campaign finance director Paul Horner
Tyson Fick, a former special assistant and policy advisor, called her ‘awesome and demanding’ and admitted she would ‘raise her voice’ but that the reports are exaggerated.
‘There is some communication that could have been better, but I don’t think it was ever an abusive scenario,’ he said.
Peltola is seeking to turn Alaska’s Senate race into a potential battleground for control of the chamber.
She made history in 2022 when she became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress.
Peltola won Alaska’s special election for its lone House seat that year and later won a full term, but lost her reelection bid to Republican Nick Begich in 2024.
During her years in Washington, Peltola was known for her moderate voting record, something Sullivan will most likely have to contend with this year.
She and opponent Dan Sullivan are set to face off in what could become one of the nation’s closely watched Senate contests.
The race has the potential to become a battleground for control of the Senate, giving Democrats an opportunity to compete for a seat in a state that has generally favored Republicans in federal elections.
Democrats need to flip four seats to take control of the US Senate, with their top prospects lying in Maine and North Carolina.
The rest of the map – which includes races in Ohio, Iowa, Texas and Alaska, presents more difficult political terrain for the party.
The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Peltola in the lead by just over two points.
