Democratic strategist James Carville has publicly dismissed complaints from former staffers who worked for ex-U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democrat now running for U.S. Senate, calling them “weak” and “soft” for speaking to The New York Times about their treatment.
The Times report, headlined “Angry Outbursts, Slurs and Firings: Tumult Rocks a Key Senate Campaign,” included accounts from former aides describing turmoil inside Peltola’s congressional office and her current Senate campaign, as she attempts to flip a Republican-held seat.
In a video posted Monday to the Politicon channel, Carville responded directly to the article. “It would appear that we have some upset little staffers that she is not — when she’s under pressure — not nice to ’em,” he said.
He argued that campaign pressure explains a candidate’s behavior toward staff. “Maybe you don’t have time to be overly courteous to little pussified staffers that just — they — ‘I want my name and my humanity,'” Carville said.
He recalled his own experience running campaigns. “When I ran campaigns, you didn’t have a f—in’ name until you did something,” he said, describing how staffers had to earn recognition through results rather than expect deference from the start.
Carville did draw one distinction, saying dehumanizing or overly rude treatment would be a separate matter. But he characterized complaints about being told to fetch coffee or being addressed impersonally as overblown. “Everybody wants a pronoun. Well, I’ll give you a pronoun. ‘You’ or ‘a–hole come over here,'” he said.
He also argued that female candidates face harsher scrutiny than men when accused of mistreating staff. “Why don’t we just call every female candidate for everything a goddamn b—–? You’d save time,” he said.
Carville closed his remarks with a message aimed at Democratic campaign workers generally. “Just put your head down, work your a– off and save the country and f— your feelings,” he said.
Mixed reaction from other strategists
Democratic strategist and pollster Doug Schoen told Fox News Digital that political work demands resilience but said the specific allegations against Peltola were concerning. “He is absolutely right regarding the intensity of political campaigns,” Schoen said. “While it is absolutely inappropriate and wrong for a candidate to act as Peltola has been alleged to have acted, I don’t believe the allegations, however serious, will affect the outcome of the Alaska Senate election. This is an election that is a referendum on Donald Trump and his governance, first and foremost.”
Former RNC national spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko largely agreed with Carville’s broader point about the demands of campaign life. “Criticisms of Peltola aside, I do agree with Carville when it comes to campaign life and intensity,” she said. “Campaigns are full of surprises, usually bad ones, meaning you never know what you’re walking into. The closer you get to Election Day, the less you eat or sleep.”
Fox News Digital said it contacted both Peltola and The New York Times for comment but had not received responses at the time of publication.
