Dem Senate hopeful rocked by explosive ex-aide claims as campaign cites hardest period of her life

Former Rep.Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, is facing allegations from former aides that she erupted in anger, used offensive slurs, sent profane text messages and once shoved a staffer — claims her campaign disputes while denying that they reflect a broader pattern of abusive behavior.The New York Times reported on Wednesday that former Peltola aides alleged she was quick to anger, used anti-gay slurs and a slur targeting the mentally handicapped, sent edgy text messages and, in one case, shoved an employee.

Though Peltola’s campaign disputed several of the allegations, her spokesman said some of her behavior came during a period of extreme grief after the deaths of her mother and husband in 2023."Mary suddenly and tragically lost both her mother and her husband in the span of a few months in 2023.At the time of their passing, Mary was parenting kids through their own grief, serving full-time in the U.S.

House of Representatives thousands of miles from home, and running a competitive re-election campaign – all while shouldering the enormous burden of grief," a spokesman for her campaign told the media in response to the report. FETTERMAN LEANS ON UNLIKELY GOP ALLY AS DEMS SHARPEN THEIR KNIVES OVER EXPLOSIVE REPORTWASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES- DECEMBER 3: Congresswoman Mary Peltola (D-AK) speaks during a ceremony for the lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, DC on December 3, 2024.(Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images) ( )"Like any person who has gone through multiple personal tragedies in the span of a few months, Mary sometimes struggled to deal with her grief.

But she treats her staff with respect and care, and she maintains close positive relationships with her staff spanning her nearly 30 years in public service," the spokesman continued."Exaggerating and outright lying about moments from the hardest period of her life, and falsely presenting them as a pattern of behavior, is wrong."Peltola avoided ...