A bombshell New York Times report says Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola used an anti-gay slur against her own gay staffers for years, even as she campaigns as a pro-LGBTQ candidate in Alaska’s closely watched Senate race.
Story Snapshot
- Four former staffers told the New York Times they directly heard Peltola use the word “faggot,” sometimes about her own team members.
- Text messages reviewed by the paper show Peltola also used the word “retarded” to describe someone.
- Peltola’s campaign denies the homophobic slur claim but admits she used the ableist term and says she regrets it.
- Nine former aides described a wider pattern of angry outbursts, including one alleged shoving incident.
- Her campaign blames the reported behavior on grief after her husband and mother both died in 2023.
Former Staffers Detail Years of Slurs and Outbursts
The New York Times published its investigation on September 23, 2026, based on interviews with nine former staff members. Four of them, speaking separately, said they personally heard Peltola use the slur “faggot” over the years. In some cases, the paper reported, she used the word about people on her own staff.
The same report says Peltola used the word “retarded” in text messages reviewed by reporters, describing someone with the ableist slur. Former aides also told the paper her office saw frequent staff turnover, profane outbursts, and, in one instance from February 2024, a physical shove of a male aide in her congressional office.
Campaign Denies Slur, Admits Ableist Language and Cites Grief
Peltola’s campaign flatly denies she ever used the anti-gay slur, even while acknowledging she used the ableist word and now regrets it. Spokesperson Harry Child said Peltola “sometimes struggled to deal with her grief” after her husband and mother both died within months of each other in 2023, arguing the article stretched isolated moments into an unfair pattern.
Alaska’s News Source reported the campaign also disputed smaller details, saying a staffer described as shoved was actually “bumped, not pushed,” and that a separate incident involving a water bottle was described by team members as lighthearted. Peltola did not answer reporters’ questions about the allegations at a public event after the story broke.
Reaction Splits Along Party Lines in a Pivotal Senate Race
The allegations land in the middle of one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, where Peltola is challenging Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Some liberal commentators and Democrats have publicly defended Peltola and questioned the credibility of the anonymous accounts, according to Yahoo News. At the same time, CNN reported that at least one prominent Republican came to her defense despite the party divide.
The dispute highlights a broader problem voters on both sides often raise: campaigns and congressional offices can be high-pressure workplaces where allegations of mistreatment surface through anonymous former staff, making it hard for the public to judge what is a stressful lapse and what is a lasting pattern. State lawmaker Zack Fields, when asked about the claims, denied that Peltola had berated him.
Former US representative Mary Peltola denies using f-slur after allegations from staffers https://t.co/pa0lDLeO0X
— Attitude Magazine (@AttitudeMag) September 25, 2026
For voters frustrated with politicians of every stripe who seem to prioritize image over accountability, the episode raises a simple question that goes beyond party lines: whether a candidate who campaigns on inclusion should face tougher scrutiny when her own former staff say she used slurs behind closed doors. Neither side disputes that Peltola used offensive language in private; the fight is over which words she used and how often.
Sources:
washingtonexaminer.com, theguardian.com, yahoo.com, alaskasnewssource.com, attitude.co.uk, thehill.com
