An Alaska Democrat is facing allegations about her treatment of a veteran as a Senate campaign reaches Election Day.
The accusations concern an alleged racial slur after a fundraising dinner, adding another controversy to a race with national stakes.
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola allegedly used the n-word about Ed Wesley, a black Army veteran, according to Alaska Landmine.
An unnamed former staffer made the accusation, which Peltola’s campaign denied while attacking the former employee’s credibility and motives.
“Mary would never use this word, which is a vile slur with a painful, hateful history,” a campaign spokesperson said.
The campaign described the allegation as a smear effort driven by a disgruntled former staffer who had been fired.
The alleged incident followed an October 2024 dinner honoring nearly 4,000 black soldiers, with campaign money purchasing tables.
Federal Election Commission records cited in the report show Peltola’s campaign spent $8,000 on tables for the October 2024 event.
Wesley, a former president of the Anchorage NAACP, reportedly assured Peltola that the tables would be filled, according to reporting.
When seats remained empty, the former staffer alleged, Peltola reacted angrily and repeatedly described Wesley as a scammer.
The allegation places the veteran’s reputation and the campaign’s conduct at the center of a personal dispute over fundraising.
It also follows other accusations about Peltola’s workplace behavior, including angry outbursts, offensive language, and allegedly shoving a male employee.
Those earlier claims included allegations that she used a disability slur and an anti-gay slur, according to the supplied report.
Peltola is challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in a contest that could help determine which party controls the Senate.
For Republicans, the new allegations offer an opening to question the conduct of a candidate promoted as a Democratic recruit.
The controversy also draws attention to support Peltola received from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, one of the Democratic Party’s recognizable progressives.
Ocasio–Cortez encouraged her small-dollar donors to support Peltola’s Alaska campaign in January, directing fundraising attention toward the Senate challenger.
The New York Post sought comment from Ocasio–Cortez about the racial-slur allegation, but she didn’t respond, according to the report.
That connection highlights the investment in a race where Democrats are seeking to defeat an incumbent Republican far from Washington.
Peltola’s political profile, however, includes positions that distinguish her from many of the progressive politicians supporting Democratic campaigns nationally.
She was the only Democrat endorsed by the National Rifle Association in 2024, according to the report.
During her House tenure, she also pressed the Biden administration to support Arctic drilling, a significant issue for Alaska’s economy.
She touted securing approval for ConocoPhillips’ $8 billion Willow Project, giving her a record that includes backing substantial fossil-fuel development.
Those positions have helped define her Alaska-focused political identity even as national Democrats have supported her Senate ambitions.
The supplied report describes polling showing Peltola leading Sullivan by two percentage points, demonstrating the importance of late campaign controversies.
The racial-slur allegation comes as Sullivan is attacking her campaign over a separate dispute involving another candidate sharing his name.
In a Monday Newsmax interview, Sullivan alleged that Peltola’s campaign and Democratic allies helped recruit the similarly named Republican candidate.
He accused them of trying to confuse voters and argued that anger over the controversy was energizing his supporters.
Peltola has said she did not know about that alleged recruitment effort, according to Sullivan’s account of her position.
The two disputes involve different allegations, but together they have given Sullivan multiple opportunities to challenge his opponent’s credibility.
Sullivan said he was seeing large rally crowds and urged Alaskans to respond to the ballot controversy by voting.
Now Peltola’s campaign is also defending her personal conduct, insisting she would never use the racial slur attributed to her, The New York Post reported.
The clash over the former staffer’s account means the campaign is contesting both what allegedly happened and the accuser’s reliability.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
