Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democratic Senate candidate backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is facing allegations from former staffers that she used the n-word while serving in Congress.

Peltola, 53, is challenging incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, in a closely watched Senate race that could affect control of the chamber after the 2026 midterm elections.

The allegation centers on an October 2024 dinner honoring nearly 4,000 black soldiers, when Peltola was serving as Alaska’s U.S. representative.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Peltola’s campaign spent $8,000 on tables for the event after Ed Wesley, a black Army veteran who was promoting the dinner, reportedly told her the seats would be filled.

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When that did not happen, a former staffer alleged that Peltola became angry and used a racial slur while referring to Wesley.

“She said, “I can’t believe that n—-r,'” an unnamed former staffer told Alaska Landmine.

The former staffer also alleged that Peltola repeatedly called Wesley, a former president of the Anchorage NAACP, a “scammer.”

Alaska Landmine: Mary Peltola used the “n-word” multiple times in 2024, Per former staffers

According to a former staffer, Wesley pressured the Peltola campaign to buy several tables for an event, but they remained mostly empty. According to the staffer, Peltola called him a scammer and said, “I can’t believe that n****r”. — OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) October 10, 2026

Peltola’s campaign denied the accusation and said the claim came from a former employee with a grievance against the campaign.

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Her campaign called the allegation “part of a smear campaign driven by an unstable, disgruntled former staffer who was fired.”

A campaign spokesperson also rejected the claim that Peltola would use the slur.

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

The new allegation comes as Peltola is already facing claims from former staffers that she was prone to angry outbursts while in office.

She has also been accused of using other offensive terms, including “retard” and “f—t,” and of shoving a male employee.

Those allegations have added another layer of controversy to an Alaska Senate race that is already drawing national attention.

Peltola has become an important Democratic recruit in the party’s effort to flip the Senate in the 2026 midterms.

Her candidacy has also received support from Ocasio-Cortez, who used her national fundraising network in January to encourage supporters to contribute to Peltola’s campaign.

The endorsement puts Peltola in an unusual political position given some of her previous positions.

She was the only Democrat endorsed by the National Rifle Association in 2024.

During her time in the House from 2022 to 2025, Peltola also pushed the Biden administration to support Arctic drilling.

She later touted her role in helping secure approval for ConocoPhillips’ $8 billion Willow Project.

Those positions helped Peltola build a political profile that differed in some respects from the national Democratic Party, while her ability to win statewide in Alaska made her an attractive candidate for party leaders looking for a competitive Senate pickup.

Recruiting Peltola to challenge Sullivan has been described as a major success for national Democrats as both parties fight for control of the Senate.

Peltola has previously won a statewide race, and the current contest is expected to remain close.

Recent polling cited in the race puts Peltola just 2 percentage points ahead of Sullivan.

That narrow margin means allegations involving her conduct and treatment of staff could receive increased scrutiny as the campaign enters its final stages.

The latest accusation also places Peltola’s campaign in the position of having to rebut claims from former employees while maintaining focus on the broader Senate contest.

Her campaign has denied the racial slur allegation outright and characterized it as an effort by a fired former staffer to damage her reputation.

The former staffer, however, offered a specific account of what allegedly happened following the October 2024 dinner and tied the alleged remark to Peltola’s frustration over the campaign’s $8,000 expenditure on tables that were reportedly not filled as expected.

With the Alaska Senate race already considered one of the most consequential contests of the 2026 cycle, the allegation is likely to become another issue confronting Peltola as she attempts to unseat Sullivan and help Democrats gain ground in the Senate.

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