Alaska Democratic Indigenous Senate Candidate Mary Peltola Accused of Using Homophobic Slurs Against Staffers

Former campaign and congressional aides to Mary Peltola, the Democratic nominee and Alaska Native candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alaska, have accused the candidate of volatile outbursts, physical aggression, and repeated use of homophobic slurs. As reported by LGBTQ Nation citing an investigative report published by The New York Times, four former aides stated that they personally heard Peltola use the anti-gay slur “faggot” on multiple occasions, at times directing it toward members of her own staff. Peltola’s campaign forcefully denied the allegations of homophobia while acknowledging her occasional use of an ableist slur and attributing personal strains to profound family grief.

The investigation by The New York Times drew upon accounts from nine former staffers who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for professional repercussions, as well as contemporaneous text messages and photographs. The reporting portrays both Peltola’s congressional office and her Senate campaign as beset by frequent turmoil and angry outbursts. In one described incident from February 2024, Peltola allegedly grew agitated over a misplaced meeting memo and shoved a male staffer in the chest, causing him to stumble backward; the staffer departed the office shortly thereafter, while campaign representatives characterized the encounter as an accidental collision. In December 2025 during debate preparation, Peltola reportedly thrust a water bottle inches from an aide’s face in imitation of a microphone. Internal communications reviewed by journalists also revealed crude remarks aimed at leadership of Planned Parenthood following the group’s criticism of her vote on a defense appropriations measure. Ex-staffers also recounted atypical personal tasks, such as feeding live crickets to her daughter’s pet chameleon. In 2023, staff turnover in Peltola’s House office ranked among the highest in Congress.

Peltola’s campaign pushed back against allegations of a persistent pattern of mistreatment, insisting that the former lawmaker never used anti-gay slurs. A campaign spokesperson stressed that Peltola suffered two devastating losses in 2023: the death of her mother and the loss of her husband, Eugene Peltola Jr., in a plane crash. According to the campaign, Peltola faced the daunting challenge of raising grieving children, managing congressional duties thousands of miles away in Washington, and mounting a competitive campaign, making efforts to portray moments of grief as routine misconduct misleading and unfair. Peltola declined to address questions regarding the report during a public event in Anchorage. However, the campaign acknowledged the authenticity of messages in which she directed the ableist slur “retarded” at a commercial fishing executive, expressing regret for the language. Several prominent Democratic allies have defended Peltola, questioning the timing and impartiality of the reporting weeks before a critical general election.

The 53-year-old Peltola, a Yup’ik Alaska Native, represented the state’s at-large congressional district from 2022 to 2025, becoming the first Alaska Native elected to Congress. In the upcoming general election, national Democrats view her race against incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan as crucial for determining majority control of the U.S. Senate. Within LGBTQ+ policy discussions, Peltola has maintained a moderate record: the Human Rights Campaign scored her voting history at 70 out of 100. She voted in favor of the federal Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, opposed federal prohibitions against transgender girls competing in school athletics, and served as grand marshal at the 2025 Anchorage Pride parade. Conversely, she chose not to vote against certain Republican amendments sponsored by Representative Lauren Boebert restricting LGBTQ+ literature in Department of Defense schools and Department of Agriculture materials.

Uránia previously covered how Mary Peltola’s candidacy drew criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates regarding compromise votes on Republican-led amendments in the U.S. House of Representatives.