By MURRAY WALSH
Oct. 21, 2026 – September is a special month for me, especially this year. I walked down the rear air stair of an Alaska Airlines 727 in mid-September of 1976 in Juneau and have been an Alaska resident and a Republican since that day.
There are a lot of reasons to choose Republican over other options but an important one to me is that the GOP is a polite bunch. I have watched the Democrat leadership do some pretty sneaky things over the years. Alaska Democrats have pulled their share of stunts over those decades. Many Republicans still believe Democratic crossover votes in the 1982 primary helped clear the way for Bill Sheffield to become governor. I thought the high-water mark of political gamesmanship came when Alaskans were sold ranked-choice voting. I was wrong.
The current campaign against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is the dirtiest and most obscenely impolite political chicanery since statehood. A lot of it is sneaky like the deployment of Dan J. Sullivan, Jr. into the fray, but the bulk is just outright lying and innuendo about the character of the incumbent Senator. Not a word of it is true. Go to the website https://peltolalies.com/ for the truth.
Senator Sullivan’s main opponent, Mary Peltola, is openly leading the charge with foul TV and radio ads and mailers, but the Democrat machine is at work too, with near-weekly newspaper columns to further the assault. I thought it odd that Mary would be a willing participant in this. She did nothing like this in her campaigns against Nick Begich. She seemed to want to be seen as warm and village-grown polite so then I thought that it must be Senator Chuck Schumer – source of much outside money – that is making her do this. But now, thanks to the New York Times reporting, her true nature may be more apparent.
The newspaper interviewed nine former staff members, who spoke anonymously, and more than 20 others in her political orbit. Former aides described angry outbursts and an office environment that left some employees in tears or contemplating quitting.
I understand that campaigns are stressful and former employees can have grievances. But accounts from nine former staffers deserve to be taken seriously.
I was especially disappointed to read how the former congresswoman treated fellow Alaskans. According to the Times, Peltola was frustrated in 2024 by Planned Parenthood’s scrutiny of her deliberations over the defense bill. In a text that the newspaper said appeared to refer to a woman on a local Planned Parenthood board, she wrote: “I hope she dies of a botched abortion.”
I cannot read those words and dismiss them as ordinary political frustration. Whatever someone’s position on abortion, wishing death on another person is appalling.
Peltola’s campaign denies a pattern of abusive behavior and says accounts have been exaggerated or fabricated. Her campaign also pointed to her struggle with grief after losing her mother and husband within months of each other. Those losses deserve compassion. Even so, voters have a responsibility to consider the conduct described in this report when deciding whether to entrust her with a Senate seat.
A senator faces criticism, disappointment and pressure every day. Staff members need to be able to deliver unwelcome news and ask difficult questions. How a candidate responds to those people is important.
Alaska is a big state made up of small, tightly knit communities. We work alongside people whose politics differ from our own every day. We depend on one another, and we should expect our representatives to treat people with basic decency.
Mary Peltola is asking Alaskans to trust her judgment for the next six years. The conduct described in the Times reporting, combined with both Peltola and the Democrat bosses’ overt and covert lies and shenanigans, should be more than enough for us to turn away from her and stick with Senator Dan S. Sullivan. Vote carefully.
Walsh is a retired land use and development consultant residing in Juneau.
11 thoughts on “Murray Walsh: Who is the Real Mary Peltola?”
Shall we listen to Mr Walsh or the “nice Mary” from her phony ads and her lies about her opponent?
Who is the Fish Princess?
A rent seeking, lazy, foul mouthed identitarian who is very comfortable marxism.
I’ll give Trump credit for one thing. He held up a mirror to America and exposed just how many people choose hatred and bigotry over humanity, cruelty over compassion, and selfishness over decency.
The worst part? They saw their reflection and loved it. Sound familiar Micah?
Oh you far leftists make me laugh. The constant confession through projection combined with the reductive stupidity of straight jacketed ideology.
I’ve noticed an interesting dynamic since America First has rejected Trmp 2 (or more accurately Bush 3). Lefty libratarian types are making common cause with America First against the war and against the surveillance state (though we agree on little else, but still those are two huge issues). The lefty authoritarians don’t care and attack regardless. Congratulations Damon! We can all see your lefty authoritarianism.
By the way. Where are all the protests against the war? Do you only protest when you get paid? One great thing Trump 2 did was end usaid. Cut off the spigot for y’all.
Sounds just likeYOU, Damon
Mean Old Native Woman from Camp Siwash.
Many of us may remember a tune called “Mustang Sally”. Well up here in Alaska we have Mustache Mary. I am sure you have seen the video ad where Mary touts her previous NRA rating by shooting a rifle. If you look close, just past the hammer on the rifle, there is a mustache on what is supposed to be Mary shooting the rifle. This must be the “they, them” Mary, Marco !
Shame on the New York Times for not reporting the whole story about what Mary Peltola was going through during the time when she serving full time in the U.S. House of Representatives in ‘23. Mary lost both her mother and her husband months apart unexpectedly so it was a stressful time for her dealing with the grief she & her family felt while continuing her work for us in the House of Representatives.
The reports of her using inappropriate language & pushing a staffer was disputed by other campaign workers but never reported anywhere in the story. Other campaign staffers have said she treated them with respect & one said she was “one of the finest human beings”… none of this was noted in the story.
Maybe Mary wasn’t perfect during that stressful time in her life….maybe it shows she is human and maybe there are things she would re-do during that difficult time.
Mary has been leading in the polls and the republicans are using every avenue to discredit Mary. What I do know is that I have voted for her as I want a Senator that will vote for what is right for us Alaskans & US citizens and not for someone who votes with Trump every time.
The real question is, Is there a REAL Mary Peltola? What you see is entirely a creation of the Party’ S consultants they just took an ID and created an image for their willing dupes to put their hopes into, very much like Obama, ” they found an empty vesselfrom an identity group to USE, who was willing to take the money and play the part
So very true and a great analogy!!!
Let’s make sure Dan “S” Sullivan prevails.
Peltola is no stranger to politics. Everyone has personal challenges and tragedies in their lives. Managing them is not always easy but being in the national political arena is not for the faint of heart. Responsibilities to constituents must be a priority. Decision making as a political representative is a higher standard for behavior though as of late America has repeatedly seen that bar drop. Cardboard candidates created through huge cash infusions support marketing products, not true character and leadership. Anyone can be propped up via a pr campaign. When the going gets tough, that’s when true character emerges. On so many levels, especially the report card on Peltola’s short stint in Congress, not being reelected, there is a serious lack on credibility for her serving well in the Senate. The traditional HR question when checking background references: would you rehire this person? No.