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Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, used derogatory terms for gay and intellectually disabled people. She swept stacks of paper off a desk, shoved an aide and asked employees to feed crickets to Meatball, her family’s pet chameleon, first at her Washington apartment and then at her Capitol Hill office.
These are some of the findings of an exposé that the New York Times published this week examining Peltola’s conduct both as a candidate and when in Congress — including her use of slurs that could harm her standing among her Democratic base.
The story was published amid a closely fought U.S. Senate campaign, in which Peltola faces incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan. Her campaign explained some of the story’s findings by saying Peltola was grieving the recent death of her husband in a plane crash, but also accused some of the Times’ sources – including nine anonymous former staffers – of “exaggerating and outright lying,” and denied she’d used the derogatory word for gay people.
The story quickly spread among Alaska’s political circles after its publication. We were curious to know: How would its findings affect Peltola’s standing with voters? So we turned to the best sources available — Anchorage Press readers — and sent out a quick survey Thursday morning.
We also checked in with some of Alaska’s leading Democrats, including the state party chair, Eric Croft, gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich, who finished second to Kreiss-Tomkins in August’s primary election before dropping out.
Kreiss-Tomkins’ campaign and Begich both declined to comment, while the Alaska Democratic Party hasn’t responded yet. Peltola’s campaign shared the same response it sent to the New York Times.
In just a few hours after we posted our survey, meanwhile, more than 115 Anchorage Press readers sent us their own views, a selection of which we are republishing below.
To underscore an obvious point: This was not a poll or a scientific survey — it’s a set of anecdotal reactions.
We’re not endorsing any of the points or takes contained within them; we also know these are difficult topics and that the language cited can cause harm.
We also think, however, that it’s worth platforming the diverse views held by readers and voters in order to understand what our community is thinking. Consistent with the Press’ vision, we value the chance for Alaskans to hear and reflect on the different perspectives and lived experiences from which people approach this stuff.
This issue may have real consequences in what’s already a highly consequential election. This piece is also unlikely to be the last one you’ll read that takes on these kinds of tough issues in this year’s election, from us or elsewhere. As much as we can, we expect to dive more deeply into questions of power and personality and gender and media coverage over the course of the next several weeks.
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and concision.
Correction: This introduction originally said the Times reported Peltola had used a derogatory term for gay people in text messages; the story did not, in fact, cite text messages for that specific assertion and noted that Peltola’s campaign disputed it.
Aaron Surma
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? It’s an article that states she’s an imperfect human. We know everyone is flawed, but it still sucks to hear the specific ways in which they are flawed. A similar article written about the past three years of my life probably wouldn’t sound as bad, but there have been three-year stretches of my life that would also sound significantly worse than how Mary sounds in the article.
It’s a good reminder that we shouldn’t deify anyone, especially people who are eager to be in power.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? It doesn’t affect that I will vote for her, but it makes me less eager to be a vocal proponent of hers.
Andy Miller
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? It was extremely negative. The main issues were the comments about the abortion and calling someone a r–d which I consider only slightly less offensive than the n-word. That said, I’m interested in the context and who the people were she was talking about. It’s shocking anyone would say the things she did out loud (or in text), but to some degree, context matters.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I don’t care about most of the stuff. I read an article several years ago about Amy Klobuchar being an abusive boss, and it didn’t really change my opinion. The problem for me is the language — especially putting the word r–d in a text. Use of the word makes me think she is juvenile and ignorant, and in turn disingenuous in her public face. I voted for Petersburg Dan in the primary; I was considering changing my vote for Mary in the general, but it’s hard to say and this doesn’t help her. It’s a long way until Election Day.
Jackie Smith
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Arghhh! I’ve been canvassing and calling…and this is really frustrating. First, it’s suspiciously close to the election (hoping it’s a reaction to the polls) and second, the article cycles through the listed cases several times making it seems like there are more examples than there are. I generally trust the NYT, but this plays into the “nice girls don’t get angry” rhetoric.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? Not at all. I’ve been a leader in a men’s world (retired U.S. Army) and have been criticized for reaction. This is carefully timed BS. Mary has my vote, and I’ll be working harder at canvassing and calling for her.
Moira Ingle
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? The timing makes clear that it’s a hit piece. Anonymous sources are free to cast aspersions without retribution. Why on earth is handling crickets a problem?!?
It’s unfortunate that she used a couple of slurs. Her frustration under some circumstances is understandable, especially since she was dealing with intense personal stress. But she needs to acknowledge her mistake and pledge to do better — and never document anger in writing! Not to mention vetting her staff for snowflake tendencies. Overall, her language sounds a lot like normal for an Alaskan fisher(man)! GOP pearl-clutching is the height of hypocrisy.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I definitely plan to vote for her.
Anders Carlson:
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Oof. I don’t trust NYT on principle — I think that they have done a lot to hurt journalism. But the article appears to be pretty damning. This will certainly hurt her campaign, and it makes me even more disappointed that David Leslie dropped out of the race after making it to the top 4 in the primary. With our ranked choice voting system, at least then I could have voted for a candidate whose politics I actually agree with, secure in the knowledge that I wouldn’t be wasting my vote by ranking Peltola second.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I was planning on voting for her, albeit having to pinch my nose to do so. I’ll still vote for her, but maybe now I’ll have to bring nose plugs.
Jedediah Smith
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Maybe some decent reporting, but the majority of accusations struck me as petty in comparison to the bigger issues at stake.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I don’t like the accusations, but they aren’t deal breakers for me. I do wish Peltola would have been more clear in her response to the allegations, rather than putting a spokesperson out front. I’m also skeptical of sources that go unnamed in stories. I still view Peltola as a preferred alternative to Sullivan, because I think Sullivan has been a mouthpiece for the Trump administration, refusing to break with the administration on issues that directly affect a majority of Alaskans. Sullivan supports the war in Iran, didn’t push back enough on DOGE and ICE, and he really has no leadership position under the current Senate majority. He constantly blames Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer, while refusing to take accountability.
Emily Becker
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Honestly, I was kind of relieved, because her reputation for “nice” is too perfect. Who can live up to that?! Thank God she’s a regular human being who sometimes yells! And for the anonymous employees (especially the one who “hearted” her use of the r-word and then handed over the screenshot to a journalist), may I offer you a warm, respectful welcome to the real world. Good luck.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I do hope she takes some of this as feedback to reflect upon. We can all improve. But none of it matters in the face of Dan Sullivan’s slavish silence on actual policies that are harming Americans. For example: The price of diesel in the villages because of an idiotic war, among many.
Ben Sullender
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Confusion: Isn’t NYT supposed to be the bastion of liberal politics and thought? Why are they deliberately acting to tip the balance in a close race that their own polling suggests could tip control of the senate? Aren’t there more important things at stake than Mary casually tossing around a few f-bombs and pushing her aides towards a faster burnout rate than typical? (Thinking here of — in some order — action on climate change, bombing innocent civilians in the Middle East, USA’s slide towards autocracy, affordability, militarized gangs of undertrained ICE officers killing citizens in broad daylight and illegally imprisoning the immigrants that our community relies on, conserving our last wild lands and species, etc.)
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? Changes how I see her, but I will still 100% vote for her. She remains so much better than Sullivan, and, with respect to our man in Petersburg, there’s no other viable candidate.
Lynn Willis
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Basic political sniping. She might not be an angel, yet what does this report have to do with reversing the damage done, and damage to be done, to Alaskans by Trump and his dedicated enabler Dan Sullivan? She is understandably under extreme stress. She seems to have some very (perhaps overly) sensitive aides. Perhaps she could get ahold of Ted Steven’s “Hulk” necktie to telegraph her attitude on any given day.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I will rank her #1.
Anonymous reader
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Ambivalent. I like (former Peltola aide Tyson) Fick’s comment (in the story): Anybody who has ever worked in a high-pressure environment has likely been exposed to occasional temper flare-ups and cursing by the boss or by co-workers. To the staff members with hurt feelings: You were right to seek a different job. To those who are sticking it out: I congratulate you on your thick skin and practical attitude.
Anonymous reader
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Nothingburger. Put the article on a Republican and it’s not even a story. Boring.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? Improves, because she has balls.
Anonymous reader
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? It’s disappointing, for sure. And my bar of expectation has been set so incredibly low by the collective/societal low bar that we’ve set. We have sexual assault, blatant disregard for laws, corruption scandals left and right, nepotism, and more across the country in state and federal elected offices. I have no idea how or why we have collectively normalized these low standards for office holders. I really dislike Sen. Sullivan and his automatic lock-step with the President. I’ll still vote for Peltola.
Bill Witte
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? NYT was determined to find some dirt on Mary and found some disgruntled campaign workers eager to dish out accounts of behavior that would make a splashy read. The writers relied on stereotypes of women and Alaska Natives to shock readers with behavior that would be unremarkable for a white male candidate (and mild compared with the late Don Young).
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? Slightly increased my support for Mary. She is a stronger person than I gave her credit for being.
Anonymous (submitted as: A bear in the woods)
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? I was angry at her former staffers for how they chose to air their dirty laundry.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I think she should apologize for some of her language, but I understand the roots of her frustration. I’m absolutely still voting for her. Dan Sullivan is a Trump sycophant and that’s far worse than having an office pet. Long live Meatball!
Anonymous
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Devastating to her campaign. Hit piece. Largely correct based on my congressional staff friends. Mary definitely needs anger management or counseling but is still beloved by her many Alaskans. It’s the timing that is tough for her campaign. What about Trump and his never-ending abuse? Make him accountable, NYT.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? Voting for her.
Anonymous
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? Ugh but 🤷♂️.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I’m annoyed but will likely vote for her. It’s dumb to think that other senators and their aides don’t use this language.
Chuck Legge
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? A good portion of my life has been spent in the blue collar world. It sounds to me like she falls back into that world when she is under stress. I have also lost my stepson, my brother-in-law and my wife this year. Believe me, that can rip away the filters you normally have in place. That being said, I think Ms. Peltola needs to have a better understanding of the world she is moving in now.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I’m still voting for her, although I don’t think she is nearly liberal enough.
Scott Jerome
What was your reaction to the New York Times story on Mary Peltola’s campaign and conduct? My reaction was, “Oh no, here we go again. A promising Democrat shoots herself in the foot, and now we’ll have Sullivan for six more years.” Then, I thought, ‘Well, Don Young did all of this and worse, and he won election after election.’
Mary is not an incumbent like Young was for so long, but Alaskans may still overlook her boorish behavior in favor of ridding the Senate of Sullivan and therefore reducing the power of Trump.
How does this affect the way you see Ms. Peltola and the likelihood that you’ll vote for her? I’ll still vote for her because we need a real check on the power of the executive branch. This won’t be done with a Republican-held congress.