Suspicious Mailings Reach Election Offices in 15 States

Federal authorities are investigating dozens of letters containing suspicious substances sent to congressional offices and state election officials, less than three weeks before Election Day. Preliminary tests found the white powder wasn’t hazardous, three law enforcement sources briefed on the matter told NBC News, but laboratory tests will continue.

The FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the mailings, according to a notice sent Thursday to senior Senate office staff. Election offices in at least 15 states said they had received suspicious packages or were targeted by mailings.

The investigation and its reach

States reporting suspicious packages were Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. The FBI said the mailings went to “various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.” The agency didn’t identify the targeted offices.

“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the FBI said. Investigators, the agency added, were working to identify the person or people responsible.

Two law enforcement sources confirmed that “dozens of letters” had been sent. They wouldn’t give an exact count of letters received or seized as authorities continued efforts to intercept them. The Senate notice said law enforcement officials were trying to stop more letters before delivery, but warned that some could still reach their destinations.

Several Democratic senators’ offices were targeted, including those of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy. Authorities intercepted a letter addressed to Schumer, a spokesperson for him said. A Padilla spokesperson said the FBI notified the office that the U.S. Postal Service had intercepted a letter with a suspicious substance.

Murphy spokesperson Josh Sorbe said the FBI, Capitol Police and the sergeant at arms informed the Hartford, Connecticut, office about a letter. Murphy and his staff “were not in immediate danger,” Sorbe said. The Senate notice didn’t say whether targeted congressional offices were in Washington, D.C., or in local and regional offices.

Mail screening and election offices

The Senate notice included an image of a suspicious envelope and said letters “may contain different variations of postage stamps.” It told staff to treat suspicious letters, packages or substances “as potentially hazardous” and follow established safety protocols. Staff screen and test mail and packages delivered to Senate offices or the Capitol complex for potential threats.

The House sergeant at arms sent lawmakers and staff a similar notice Thursday. It said Capitol mail and packages undergo rigorous screening and advised district offices to follow safe mail-handling procedures, including using “mail hoods” provided by the sergeant at arms. Two congressional offices that shared the message with NBC News said the equipment allows staff to handle mail without exposure to danger. The notice said no House members had been identified as intended recipients.

Congress is on recess before the midterm elections, and most lawmakers have returned to their districts to campaign in the final weeks before Election Day. Congressional staff members remain on the Capitol campus. Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting is already underway in numerous states.

What investigators have said

NBC News reported Wednesday that election offices in Louisiana, Ohio and Oklahoma received packages containing mysterious powders that week. Oklahoma and Louisiana reported receiving envelopes; Ohio said U.S. Postal Service investigators intercepted a package destined for the state.

A correction dated Oct. 15, 2026, at 5:23 p.m. ET clarified that the Oklahoma recipient was the state Election Board, not the secretary of state’s office. The correction said the Election Board carries out election oversight in Oklahoma.

Former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack told NBC News that a crime may have occurred even if the letters prove harmless or turn out to be a hoax. “There’s several different statutes that may come into play here, whether that’s mailing a threat or mailing something believed to be a hazardous substance,” he said. He said those offenses could carry “five to 20 years behind bars.”

Pack said the Postal Inspection Service and FBI have built expertise investigating suspicious letters and can trace mail to its origin. The motive remains unclear, he said, while noting that “the timing is somewhat suspicious with the election ahead of us.” The article also noted earlier incidents involving suspicious substances mailed to election workers’ offices in 2023 and weeks before the 2024 presidential election.