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PoliticsQuiet 4d · day 4

NYT alleges Peltola used slurs, pushed staff; candidate avoids questions

Alaska Senate frontrunner Mary Peltola declined to address New York Times report citing nine former staffers describing volatile behavior.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 2d ago2 pieces NewswiresGoogle News

What to know

  • New York Times reported allegations from nine unnamed former staffers that Peltola used homophobic slurs, pushed an aide, shoved a water bottle at a staffer, and sent hostile text messages; incidents span her congressional service.
  • Peltola's campaign denied the slur allegations and disputed the physical incident characterizations, while explaining behavioral struggles as stemming from grief over her mother and husband's deaths in 2023.
  • Peltola avoided reporters' questions at a town hall on the day of publication; her opponent's campaign said the allegations confirm existing concerns about her congressional conduct.

“Exaggerating and outright lying about moments from the hardest period of her life, and falsely presenting them as a pattern of behavior, is wrong.”

Harry Child, Peltola campaign spokesperson · KTUU ↗

Mary PeltolaMary Peltola Alaska Democratic Senate frontrunnerHarry Child Peltola campaign spokespersonDan Sullivan Alaska Republican senator, Peltola's opponentKellen Browning New York Times reporter

NYT alleges Peltola used slurs, pushed staff; candidate avoids questions
alaskasnewssource.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

Peak 1 piece in one hour at Sep 23, 7 PM; 2 pieces over 4 days (2 articles) Sep 23, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 23, 8 PM — quietSep 23, 9 PM — quietSep 23, 10 PM — quietSep 23, 11 PM — quietSep 24, 12 AM — quietSep 24, 1 AM — quietSep 24, 2 AM — quietSep 24, 3 AM — quietSep 24, 4 AM — quietSep 24, 5 AM — quietSep 24, 6 AM — quietSep 24, 7 AM — quietSep 24, 8 AM — quietSep 24, 9 AM — quietSep 24, 10 AM — quietSep 24, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 24, 12 PM — quietSep 24, 1 PM — quietSep 24, 2 PM — quietSep 24, 3 PM — quietSep 24, 4 PM — quietSep 24, 5 PM — quietSep 24, 6 PM — quietSep 24, 7 PM — quietSep 24, 8 PM — quietSep 24, 9 PM — quietSep 24, 10 PM — quietSep 24, 11 PM — quietSep 25, 12 AM — quietSep 25, 1 AM — quietSep 25, 2 AM — quietSep 25, 3 AM — quietSep 25, 4 AM — quietSep 25, 5 AM — quietSep 25, 6 AM — quietSep 25, 7 AM — quietSep 25, 8 AM — quietSep 25, 9 AM — quietSep 25, 10 AM — quietSep 25, 11 AM — quietSep 25, 12 PM — quietSep 25, 1 PM — quietSep 25, 2 PM — quietSep 25, 3 PM — quietSep 25, 4 PM — quietSep 25, 5 PM — quietSep 25, 6 PM — quietSep 25, 7 PM — quietSep 25, 8 PM — quietSep 25, 9 PM — quietSep 25, 10 PM — quietSep 25, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 10 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 12 PM — quietToday, 1 PM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 3 PM — quietToday, 4 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quietToday, 6 PM — quietToday, 7 PM — quietToday, 8 PM — quiet 12
Sep 24Sep 25yesterdaytodaynow · 9:57 PM ET
  1. 2

    Peltola avoids reporters at town hall event

    At the end of a Wednesday town hall, Peltola declined to answer reporters' questions about the allegations. Her team declined a pre-event interview request, and when a KTUU reporter approached after the event, she was surrounded by staff members and did not respond.

    “Four former staff members told the Times they heard Peltola use a homophobic slur over the years, sometimes to describe members of her own staff.”
    — Kellen Browning, New York Times reporter · source
    1. 2 outlets Peltola avoids questions over NYT story documenting volatile behavior towards staff

      first by KTUU, 3d ago · also Alaska's News Source

  2. background

    Sullivan campaign calls allegations unsurprising — Nate Adams, spokesperson for Sen. Dan Sullivan (Peltola's opponent), said the allegations confirm what Alaskans already know from her congressional tenure, calling them 'disturbing track record' revelations.

  3. background

    Campaign denies slur allegations; cites grief over 2023 deaths — Peltola's campaign denied the homophobic slur allegation and disputed the characterization of other incidents, saying the aide was 'bumped, not pushed' and the water bottle incident was 'lighthearted.' Spokesperson Harry Child attributed behavioral struggles to Peltola's grief over losing both her mother and husband within months in 2023, when she was also serving in Congress and running for re-election.

  4. 1

    New York Times publishes allegations of volatile behavior by Peltola

    The New York Times reported allegations from nine unnamed former staff members that Mary Peltola used homophobic slurs (sometimes describing her own staff), pushed a male aide in the chest in her congressional office in February 2024 over a missing memo, shoved a water bottle in a staffer's face, and sent a 2024 text wishing harm on a woman at Planned Parenthood. The incidents allegedly span her time in Congress.