Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democratic Senate hopeful boosted by Squad Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is now battling explosive accusations from former staffers that she used the n-word to describe a black Army veteran.
The 53-year-old Democrat is challenging incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in a high-stakes contest that could help decide control of the Senate. According to The New York Post, the alleged slur dates back to October 2024, after a dinner honoring nearly 4,000 black soldiers, when Peltola was serving as Alaskas at-large member of the US House of Representatives.
Her campaign reportedly spent $8,000 on tables for the event, Federal Election Commission records show, after Ed Wesley, a black Army veteran and former president of the Anchorage NAACP, allegedly assured her the seats would be filled. When the turnout did not meet expectations, Peltola allegedly lost her temper and directed a racial epithet at Wesley.
She said, I cant believe that n-r, an unnamed former staffer told the Alaska Landmine, claiming Peltola repeatedly labeled Wesley a scammer. The staffers account portrays a candidate whose private conduct sharply contradicts the image of tolerance and inclusion promoted by national Democrats.
Peltolas campaign has categorically rejected the accusation in comments to The Post, dismissing it as part of a smear campaign driven by an unstable, disgruntled former staffer who was fired. Mary would never use this word, which is a vile slur with a painful, hateful history, a spokesperson said, insisting the story is politically motivated.
The racial-slur claim follows earlier reports that Peltola is prone to angry outbursts, has used terms such as retard and ft, and once shoved a male employee. These accounts raise questions about workplace conduct and character that Democrats typically highlight when attacking Republicans, but now face within their own ranks.
In January, AOC deployed her formidable fundraising machine on Peltolas behalf, urging her national base to pour money into the Alaska race. That alliance ties the scandal-plagued candidate directly to the progressive wing that routinely lectures the country on equity and anti-racism.
Peltola has also tried to straddle ideological lines, becoming the only Democrat endorsed by the National Rifle Association in 2024. During her House tenure from 2022 to 2025, she lobbied the Biden administration for Arctic drilling and touted her role in securing approval of ConocoPhillips contentious $8 billion Willow Project.
National Democrats have hailed recruiting Peltola as a strategic victory as they seek to flip the Senate in the 2026 midterms. She is viewed as a formidable contender, but recent polling shows a razor-thin margin, with Peltola leading Sullivan by just 2 percentage points.
For conservatives, the allegations underscore a familiar double standard in how the left handles its own scandals versus those it attributes to Republicans and to President Donald Trumps movement. AOC did not return The Posts request for comment, leaving voters to weigh the silence from one of the loudest voices in progressive politics against the gravity of the claims now shadowing her chosen candidate.
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