Tag: alaska

Chronically Absent Mary Peltola Drew Highest Salary in Alaska Legislature, Billed Taxpayers Hawaii Vacation

Democrat Mary Peltola was Alaska’s highest-paid state house representative yet missed 18.6 percent of votes in her five terms in office in the legislature, yet she found the time to bill taxpayers for a corporate retreat in Hawaii. In 2008, Peltola’s final year in office, she drew a taxpayer-funded salary of $77,884 while missing nearly one-fifth of votes.

Her time in office was marked by leading Alaska’s “tolerance commission” to implement woke DEI policies and also advocating for reintroducing a state income tax to “protect the rich,” according to one news outlet. The “tolerance commission” recommended banning state employees from asking the immigration status of people seeking taxpayer-funded services, providing health care for sex offenders, and diversity training for state employees and law enforcement.

Peltola established a pattern of running for office and missing large stretches of votes before cashing out and lobbying her former colleagues in her home state and in Washington.

The Hawaii conference was reported by the Anchorage Daily News. In 2006, the outlet revealed, “lawmakers billed the state for more than just plane tickets. Some get per diems, meals, and hotel rooms,” which included $1,525.06 to Peltola.

In 2011, she was elected to the Bethel City Council in western Alaska. Peltola missed more than a third of the city’s official meetings during her time in office. She subsequently became a lobbyist for the city, where she raked in at least $144,999.66 from 2015 to 2017, records from the Alaska Office of Public Commission showed.

Peltola was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 and again missed stretches of votes while not seeing any legislation signed into law. Her tenure was marked by one of the highest staff turnover rates in Congress.

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Report: Mary Peltola Used N-Word Multiple Times in 2024, Staffers Allege

Two former staffers of former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) allege the Alaska Democrat repeatedly used the n-word in 2024, according to a report from the Alaska Landmine.

The two former aides worked in the Alaska Democrat’s House office and on her campaign. They spoke to the Landmine on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation. Both described separate episodes in 2024.

One instance allegedly followed an October 25, 2024 dinner honoring the roughly 4,000 African American soldiers who helped build the Alaska-Canada Highway during World War II. The event was promoted by Ed Wesley, an Army veteran, former commander of American Legion Post 34, and former president of the Anchorage NAACP.

Wesley pressured the campaign to buy tables and promised to fill them, according to a former aide. The campaign purchased eight tables at $1,000 each, the staffer said, and an October 18, 2024 FEC filing shows $8,000 paid to Eventbrite for tickets. The tables sat mostly empty. Peltola did not attend.

After staff told her about the turnout, the Senate candidate grew angry and called Wesley a “scammer,” the staffer alleged.

“I can’t believe that n****r,” Peltola said, according to the staffer.

The aide told the Landmine they had grown “numb” to such language, alleging they had previously heard Peltola use the slur “faggot” when referring to gay staffers.

A second staffer alleged the Alaska Democrat used the n-word multiple times during a spring 2024 campaign meeting. Staff conducting opposition research had discovered that her son, Job Nelson, ran a YouTube channel featuring self-produced rap music that frequently used the word. The channel was later deleted, the staffers said.

“It shocked everyone in the room,” the second staffer said, adding that no one confronted her out of fear.

The allegations come weeks after the New York Times published a report describing a pattern of angry outbursts, a shove, and slurs across Peltola’s years in office. Peltola is challenging Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in a race that could decide control of the Senate.

The Peltola campaign did not respond to the Landmine before publication but afterward claimed the report was “an outright lie published by a right-wing gossip blogger.”

“Mary would never use this word, which is a vile slur with a painful, hateful history,” the campaign said.

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Democrats Campaign Against Their Own Congressional Nominee Who Happens to Be in Federal Prison

Eric Hafner, 35, is running to strip Alaska’s lone House seat away from Republican incumbent Rep. Nicholas Begich. But can he win? After all, Hafner is the only Democrat on the ticket, and midterms historically punish the president’s party.

There’s just one problem: Eric Hafner is nearly 3,000 miles away from Juneau, serving out a 20-year prison sentence in Otisville, New York.

According to U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger, Hafner repeatedly threatened elected representatives, judges, law enforcement officers, and private citizens.

“He further victimized these public officials, private citizens, and the public generally by calling in numerous false bomb threats to a courthouse, a police department, law firms, businesses, and an elected official’s office,” Sellinger said.

Reporting by The Blue Alaskan revealed that in 2016, Inmate #00932-005 told a police department that the officer who arrested him “deserves to get shot,” that he knew where the officer lived, and that the officer’s minor child would “get his head bashed in.”

Data from Ballotpedia suggests that just 3.8 percent of voters filled in the bubble next to this man’s name.

It is unclear whether these voters knew Hafner’s background. The ballot may have been a protest vote or a knee-jerk reaction to the “D” next to his name.

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Alaskan Sex Offender Given Probation After Bringing Migrant Mom, Child Across Border

A previously convicted sex offender from Alaska received a sentence of three years’ probation for paying to have a woman from Honduras and her 14-year-old daughter brought over the border.

This week, Douglas Eugene Price went before U.S. Southern District of Texas Chief District Court Judge Randy Crane, who accepted a recommendation from federal prosecutors after Price had pleaded guilty to one count of harboring aliens. Prosecutors dropped a second count of the same charge in consideration for the plea agreement.

As Breitbart Texas’s Randy Clark reported, the case began on January 16, when a 14-year-old girl from Honduras crossed into Hidalgo, Texas, with the intention of being released to Price as her sponsor through the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The girl’s mother crossed into the country separately, planning to meet up with them and stay in Alaska.

However, during an investigation by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, agents learned that Price was a convicted sex offender and was listed on child abuse and kidnapping registries.

Agents interviewed the woman’s mother, who said she had known Price for years and that they had worked together in the past. The woman had also worked as Price’s housekeeper and babysitter before she was detained by immigration authorities in 2025 and deported to Honduras.

During the investigation, agents found messages between the two and a transfer of $5,000 meant to pay for the smuggling fees to have the woman and her daughter illegally brought into the country.

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“HYPOCRITE” — Ric Grenell Calls Out Democrat Senate Candidate Mary Peltola After Repeatedly Using Homophobic Slurs Like “F*ggot” on Her Own Gay Staffers

On Thursday, the former acting Director of National Intelligence and Kennedy Center president went after Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola after former aides accused the Senate candidate of repeatedly using homophobic slurs, including about members of her own staff.

Grenell, who is openly gay, did not mince words.

“Sorry, @marthamaccallum and @JacquiHeinrich — multiple Democrat staffers confirmed that their Democrat boss used homophobic slurs, not once, but multiple times,” Grenell posted.

“Calling your own gay staffers derogatory and condescending names while asking Democrats to vote for you shows she’s at least a comfortable hypocrite. I’m old enough to remember that this accusation would be nonstop media coverage for a Republican.”

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James O’Keefe Drops Undercover Video of DMV Workers Contradicting Murkowski’s SAVE America Act Claims

The O’Keefe Media Group on Tuesday dropped another video exposing Senator Lisa Murkowski and Alaska’s voting laws.

Senator Murkowski says she opposes the SAVE America Act which would require voter ID.

Murkowski demonstrated that a person living on the small Alaska islands would not be able to vote if the SAVE America Act was passed because they would have to travel all the way to Anchorage to get an ID.

James O’Keefe went to a small Alaskan island called Unalaska and asked DMV workers if he had to travel 800 miles to Anchorage to get an ID.

“We don’t have to go to Anchorage to get an ID?” O’Keefe asked the DMV worker.

The employee responded, “No, you can come here.”

O’Keefe continued: An Unalaska resident confirmed voting takes place at City Hall and said residents “Don’t have to go to Anchorage [to register to vote or obtain ID].”

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Report — No-Show: Democrat U.S. Senate Candidate Mary Peltola Missed 794 Alaska House Votes

Mary Peltola of Alaska, who is a former representative and current Democrat U.S. Senate nominee, has claimed to work hard for her community, but her voting record reportedly showed otherwise.

Peltola finished ahead of Trump-backed Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on Tuesday during the primary as both moved toward the general election, Fox News reported Saturday.

Peltola “missed nearly one in five votes in the Alaska House of Representatives and more than a third of Bethel City Council meetings during her time in office, records show,” the outlet said.

She reportedly missed 794 of over 4,000 House votes during her five terms and 22 city council meetings.

“Her attendance record is now raising questions about her commitment to public service as she advances to Alaska’s four-candidate general election, a closely watched race that could affect control of the U.S. Senate,” the article continued.

When announcing her decision to run for the U.S. Senate, Peltola said she was going to “fight for fish, family, and freedom.”

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James O’Keefe Offered Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Brother’s Ballot at Anchorage Polling Station with No ID Required – Murkowski Calls For O’Keefe to be Prosecuted!

James O’Keefe on Thursday released undercover video of an Anchorage, Alaska, poll worker offering him Senator Lisa Murkowski’s brother’s ballot.

Recall that RINO Murkowski was one of the Senators who opposed the SAVE America Act which would require voter ID.

An Anchorage poll worker also offered Lisa Murkowski’s State Director, Karina Waller’s ballot without an ID on Tuesday’s primary.

“I did not check in as Brian Murkowski, cast a ballot, or sign his name. We documented what happened when I gave his name, said I had no ID, and asked whether Brian could still vote,” James O’Keefe said.

“Would it be possible to vote without it [ID]?” O’Keefe asked the poll worker.

“Absolutely possible!” the poll worker said.

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DOJ Issues Grand Jury Subpoenas Whether “Other Dan Sullivan” Entered Race to CONFUSE VOTERS Against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan

The “other Dan Sullivan” controversy just exploded into a full-blown federal grand jury investigation.

The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas as investigators examine whether Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the Democrat-friendly Alaska candidate running against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, entered the race to confuse voters and divert support from the incumbent.

The Department of Justice is examining whether the retired Petersburg teacher entered the race specifically to confuse voters, siphon support from the incumbent Republican, and boost Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska’s ranked-choice system.

Potential charges under review include wire fraud and conspiracy to deprive Alaskans of a free and fair election process, a civil rights violation.

The subpoenas, first reported by NBC News and confirmed by Reuters, compel information from witnesses linked to Dan J. Sullivan’s operation.

The former teacher, who registered as a Republican only days before filing, has denied any intent to mislead voters. Critics call those denials laughable.

Dan J. Sullivan filed for the U.S. Senate seat just before the June deadline. Almost immediately, Republican officials and the National Republican Senatorial Committee flagged him as a “sham candidate.” Evidence piled up fast:

  • He had no prior Republican affiliation and switched parties right before launching.
  • He initially requested to appear on the ballot as “Dan S. Sullivan” — matching the incumbent’s middle initial — before correcting to “Dan J.”
  • His campaign website used a color scheme and design strikingly similar to Sen. Dan Sullivan’s.
  • He worked with a progressive consultant who had previously supported Democrat Mary Peltola.

Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher decertified him in mid-June, ruling the candidacy was “filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead” voters and compromise the ballot’s fairness.

State courts later reversed that decision, ruling election officials lacked authority to judge “good faith” beyond constitutional qualifications of age, citizenship, and residency. The Alaska Supreme Court upheld putting him back on the ballot.

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BUSTED: Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez’s Account Made It Look Like He Was Working in New Mexico — While He Was on $11,535 Alaska Backpacking Trip Sponsored by Anti-Drilling Group

Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez is facing fresh scrutiny after his congressional office published a steady stream of New Mexico district content while the vulnerable congressman was thousands of miles away on a privately sponsored backpacking trip.

According to a report from the Santa Fe New Mexican, Vasquez’s official X account posted on August 10, 2025, about a supposed visit to Hobbs High School.

“I visited Hobbs High School to help serve lunch and hear about how school meals are keeping kids healthy and focused,” the post read.

There was just one problem. Vasquez was not in Hobbs that day.

Official House travel records show that Vasquez departed El Paso at 7 a.m., flew through Denver, and arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska, later that evening for a weeklong trip sponsored by the American Lands Project.

The trip, which ran from August 10 through August 16, was valued at approximately $11,535 and included transportation, lodging, meals, air-taxi flights, guided hikes, camping, and other expenses.

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