Former aides claim Mary Peltola used racial slur multiple times in 2024

Two former employees of Rep. Mary Peltola allege she repeatedly used the n-word during 2024. One former aide recounts an October dinner honoring African-American soldiers who built the Alaska-Canada Highway; after the event’s tables remained largely empty, Peltola reportedly called organizer Ed Wesley a “scammer” and uttered the slur. The campaign had bought eight $1,000 tables, with an FEC filing showing $8,000 paid to Eventbrite.

A second aide says Peltola used the word multiple times at a spring campaign meeting, a moment that shocked those present but was not confronted. The aides, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, also claim they had previously heard her use the slur “faggot” toward gay staffers. These accusations arrive weeks after one outlet's piece described a pattern of angry outbursts and slurs in Peltola’s career, and they surface as she runs against Sen. Dan Sullivan in a race that could affect Senate control. The Peltola campaign denied the allegations, calling the report a lie from a right-wing gossip source.