Two former staffers are accusing Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola of repeatedly using the n-word, including once to attack an Army veteran who organized a fundraiser for her.
An unnamed staffer says that during an October 25, 2024 dinner to honor Black Army soldiers who helped construct the Alaska-Canada Highway during World War II, she used the slur while privately lashing out at the man promoting the event.
Ed Wesley, an Army veteran and former commander of the American Legion Post 34, had urged Peltola’s campaign to purchase multiple tables for the event, assuring her they would be filled. But when the event was poorly attended and the tables sat mostly empty, according to Alaska Landmine, Peltola lost it, calling Wesley a “scammer” and the n-word, according to the former staffer.
“I can’t believe that n—r,” she allegedly said.
According to another staffer, Peltola used the n-word multiple times during a 2024 campaign staff meeting.
Peltola’s campaign has denied the claims to the outlet and the New York Post. In a statement to the Post, they described it as “part of a smear campaign driven by an unstable, disgruntled former staffer.”
“Mary would never use this word, which is a vile slur with a painful, hateful history,” the spokesperson said.
