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PoliticsQuiet 6d · day 6

Alaska Democrat Peltola accused of profane outbursts, abusive conduct toward staff

Nine anonymous former staffers detail pattern of anger, slurs, and unusual demands in New York Times exposé weeks before Senate race.

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What to know

  • Nine anonymous former staffers accuse Peltola of profane outbursts, slurs, and abusive conduct including an alleged shove, dehumanizing language, and demands like having staff fetch crickets for her pet chameleon.
  • The allegations emerged in a New York Times feature weeks before the general election in which Peltola is considered a slight favorite to flip Alaska's Senate seat to Democratic control.
  • Peltola's campaign denies abusive behavior, characterizes the shoving incident as accidental, and attributes some conduct to grief following her husband's 2023 death in a plane crash.

“I hope she dies of a botched abortion.”

Mary Peltola, Democratic Senate nominee · Daily Mail (reporting New York Times feature) ↗ · Dec 31

Mary PeltolaMary Peltola Democratic nominee for Alaska SenateDan Sullivan Alaska Senate opponent

Alaska Democrat Peltola accused of profane outbursts, abusive conduct toward staff
dailymail.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articles

Peak 3 pieces in two hours at Sep 24, 10 AM; 3 pieces over 6 days (3 articles) Sep 24, 10 AM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 2, Google News 1Sep 24, 12 PM — quietSep 24, 2 PM — quietSep 24, 4 PM — quietSep 24, 6 PM — quietSep 24, 8 PM — quietSep 24, 10 PM — quietSep 25, 12 AM — quietSep 25, 2 AM — quietSep 25, 4 AM — quietSep 25, 6 AM — quietSep 25, 8 AM — quietSep 25, 10 AM — quietSep 25, 12 PM — quietSep 25, 2 PM — quietSep 25, 4 PM — quietSep 25, 6 PM — quietSep 25, 8 PM — quietSep 25, 10 PM — quietSep 26, 12 AM — quietSep 26, 2 AM — quietSep 26, 4 AM — quietSep 26, 6 AM — quietSep 26, 8 AM — quietSep 26, 10 AM — quietSep 26, 12 PM — quietSep 26, 2 PM — quietSep 26, 4 PM — quietSep 26, 6 PM — quietSep 26, 8 PM — quietSep 26, 10 PM — quietSep 27, 12 AM — quietSep 27, 2 AM — quietSep 27, 4 AM — quietSep 27, 6 AM — quietSep 27, 8 AM — quietSep 27, 10 AM — quietSep 27, 12 PM — quietSep 27, 2 PM — quietSep 27, 4 PM — quietSep 27, 6 PM — quietSep 27, 8 PM — quietSep 27, 10 PM — quietSep 28, 12 AM — quietSep 28, 2 AM — quietSep 28, 4 AM — quietSep 28, 6 AM — quietSep 28, 8 AM — quietSep 28, 10 AM — quietSep 28, 12 PM — quietSep 28, 2 PM — quietSep 28, 4 PM — quietSep 28, 6 PM — quietSep 28, 8 PM — quietSep 28, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quiet 1
Sep 25Sep 26Sep 27Sep 28yesterdaynow · 7:52 AM ET
  1. 1

    Peltola's campaign denies abusive behavior; cites grief and accidental contact

    The campaign denies abusive behavior and the shoving incident, characterizing the latter as an accidental bump. It attributes some of her behavior to being close to the 2023 death of her husband. The campaign acknowledged she regretted using an offensive slur about the fisheries executive and knew it was inappropriate.

    “F**k that retard…”
    — Mary Peltola, Democratic Senate nominee · source
  2. background

    New York Times publishes allegations from nine anonymous former staffers — A lengthy New York Times feature details accusations from nine anonymous former staffers describing Peltola as prone to anger, including slurs, abusive language toward aides, unusual demands (such as having staff fetch live crickets to feed her pet chameleon Meatball), and complaints about staff clothing and social media posts. The reporting notes Peltola had one of the highest staff turnover rates during her time in Congress.

  3. background

    Peltola allegedly shoves aide over missing memo — During a February 2024 incident, Peltola allegedly shoved a male aide after being unable to locate a memo ahead of a meeting. The aide left shortly after. Her campaign characterized it as an accidental bump and attributed it to stress surrounding the first birthday of her late husband.

  4. background

    Peltola exchanges heated texts about Planned Parenthood over abortion bill vote — After staffers criticized her for voting yes on a bill with anti-abortion policies, Peltola wrote to staff in an angry text: 'I hope Planned Parenthood knows that if we don't win it's more their loss than ours. F**K THOSE B****ES.' She separately wrote of a Planned Parenthood board member: 'I hope she dies of a botched abortion.'

  5. background

    Peltola uses slur about fisheries executive in commercial reaction — Reacting to a commercial showing her with a fisheries executive, Peltola allegedly said 'F**k that retard' and referenced the sitcom Scrubs. Her campaign told the Times she regretted using that word and knew it was inappropriate.

  6. background

    Peltola's husband dies in plane crash — Eugene Peltola, Mary Peltola's husband, dies in a plane crash, an event her campaign later cites as context for her subsequent behavior.