Mary Peltola reportedly wished a Planned Parenthood leader dead

Alaska Public Media reported that a 2024 text attributed to Senate candidate Mary Peltola said she hoped a local Planned Parenthood board member would “die of a botched abortion.”¹

“die of a botched abortion.”

A pivotal Senate race

Peltola is challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in what Alaska Public Media called a tight race², and the Alaska Beacon reported that the winner may decide which party holds the Senate majority³.

The text and the response

The botched-abortion remark came after Planned Parenthood was slow to endorse Peltola that year, and this year she does not appear on the group’s endorsement list, the Alaska Beacon reported³. KTUU reported that The New York Times report cited nine unnamed former staffers¹. The report alleged that Peltola used a homophobic slur, pushed a staffer and shoved a water bottle in a staff member’s face¹. Her campaign denied the slur allegation, said the staffer was “bumped, not pushed,” and described the water-bottle incident as “lighthearted,” KTUU reported¹. Spokesperson Harry Child tied the period to the 2023 deaths of Peltola’s mother and husband, and said she “treats her staff with respect and care.”¹

Campaigns respond

Peltola declined an interview with The Times, KTUU reported¹. Her campaign called the portrayal of incidents as a pattern wrong, Alaska Public Media reported². Morgan Lim, Alaska state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, said the group would “talk with her about what was reported when she’s Senator-elect.”

Sources

1. Peltola avoids questions over NYT story documenting volatile behavior towards staff
2. New York Times reports Peltola has repeatedly blown up at aides and campaign staff
3. A New York Times article claimed hostility by Mary Peltola. Will it affect Alaska’s Senate race?