Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, are investigating suspicious letters containing white powder sent to Democratic senators and election offices in over eleven states in October 2026. Occurring weeks before the midterm elections and on the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Capitol anthrax attacks, several state facilities faced evacuations, though testing in multiple states confirmed the substances were non-hazardous.
Overview of suspicious national mailings
- ▪Envelopes containing suspicious substances and white powder were mailed to multiple U.S. congressional offices and state election facilities across the nation in October 2026.
- ▪The wave of suspicious mailings targeted political offices and election administrators less than three weeks before the November 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
Joint federal investigation
- ▪The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Capitol Police initiated a joint federal investigation into the suspicious mailings sent nationwide in October 2026.
- ▪U.S. Postal Inspection Service Deputy Chief Inspector Brendan Donahue stated on October 15, 2026 that federal agencies are coordinating to identify those responsible for sending the suspicious letters.
Targeting of U.S. senators
- ▪Spokespersons for Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and Delaware Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester confirmed their offices received suspicious letters containing white powder in October 2026.
- ▪Suspicious letters were addressed to Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer, Alex Padilla, Chris Murphy, Kirsten Gillibrand, Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Chris Coons in October 2026.
- ▪The U.S. Postal Service intercepted suspicious packages addressed to California Senator Alex Padilla and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand before delivery in October 2026.
Targeting of State election offices
- ▪Law enforcement testing in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Cook County, Illinois confirmed that the white powders received by election offices were non-hazardous.
- ▪Election offices and state officials in at least eleven states, including Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arizona, Delaware, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Hampshire, Mississippi, and Illinois, were targeted by suspicious white powder mailings in October 2026.
- ▪Staff members opening envelopes containing white powder prompted evacuations at the Louisiana Secretary of State office, the Oklahoma State Election Board, and the Arizona State Capitol in October 2026.
Capitol Hill warnings and impact
- ▪The House Sergeant at Arms notified staff on October 15, 2026 that no House members had been identified as intended recipients of the suspicious mailings.
- ▪A Senate Sergeant at Arms notice issued on October 15, 2026 warned Capitol Hill staff that suspicious letters had been mailed nationwide and urged recipients to treat them as potentially hazardous.
Historical context and past mail scares
- ▪Similar security scares involving mailings of white powder occurred during both the 2023 and 2024 U.S. election cycles.
- ▪The October 15, 2026 mailings occurred on the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Capitol Hill anthrax attacks, which originally prompted offsite mail screening protocols for Congress.
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