New Wave of Suspicious Powder Letters Hits Congressional Offices in Both Parties, Two Weeks Before Election Day

A second wave of envelopes containing a suspicious substance reached congressional offices on Monday, about two weeks before the Nov. 3 election. Members of Congress in both parties said in their own posts that their offices received letters or were told one was on the way. The first reports came last week from state election offices and several senators.

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., posted at 6:15 p.m. ET:

Post: Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) on X, Oct. 19, 2026, 6:15 p.m. ET.

"Earlier today, my congressional office in Aurora received a letter with a suspicious substance. My staff is safe, and our district office remains open for those who need assistance. Attempts to intimidate me or my team will not stop our work on behalf of Coloradans. I want to thank law enforcement for swiftly working to investigate this matter and keep everyone safe."

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., posted at 6:30 p.m. ET:

Post: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) on X, Oct. 19, 2026, 6:30 p.m. ET.

"Unfortunately, my office received a letter with a suspicious substance inside – similar to what other elected officials have received nationwide. Thankfully, everyone is safe and the matter is being investigated by the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. I appreciate local police and law enforcement for their work to keep the public safe."

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., posted at 6:56 p.m. ET. He wrote that a staff member "did not open it and he alerted authorities immediately," and that Napa County fire, hazmat, sheriff's and emergency teams responded before "the case has now been turned over to the FBI":

Post: Rep. Mike Thompson (@RepThompson) on X, Oct. 19, 2026, 6:56 p.m. ET.

"Political violence has no place in our democracy. This attempt to intimidate public servants and our staff will not succeed," Thompson wrote.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said a suspicious envelope arrived at his Milwaukee office at 3:38 p.m. ET (2:38 p.m. CT):

Post: Sen. Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) on X, Oct. 19, 2026, 6:46 p.m. ET.

"The return address matched the description of letters sent to other congressional and state offices across the nation," Johnson wrote. His staff "immediately isolated the envelope, cleared all staff members, and called 911 and the Sergeant at Arms." He added: "The first responders confiscated the letter, and thankfully, everyone is safe. Our office operations have now resumed as normal."

Offices that reported letters this weekend and Monday

Each item below links to the official's own post. Where a letter was intercepted before delivery, or an office was only notified, we say so.

• Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo. (Boulder): "Today a letter with a suspicious substance was delivered to our office in Boulder" (post, 3:01 p.m.).
• Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo. (Lakewood): "Today my Lakewood office received one of 800+ suspicious envelopes that have been sent to elected officials' offices containing a white substance" (post, 7:30 p.m.). The figure is hers. Radio Purple has not seen an official count from the FBI or postal inspectors.
• Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va. (Leesburg): "my office in Leesburg received an envelope containing a suspicious substance. The office was promptly evacuated" (post, 12:12 p.m.).
• Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine (Portland): "This morning, my Portland office received a suspicious letter consistent with those received by many other congressional and election offices in recent days" (post, 11:15 a.m.).
• Rep. Al Green, D-Texas (Houston): Green's office held a news conference at its Houston district office "Concerning Envelope Containing Unknown Substance Being Evaluated" (post).
• Rep. André Carson, D-Ind.: "my office was alerted to a suspicious letter addressed to me reportedly containing a powdery substance" (post, 4:22 p.m.).
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.: "my district office received a suspicious letter," with Sunrise police responding (post, 4:27 p.m.).
• Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. (notified): "We have been notified by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service that a letter intended for our office may contain a suspicious substance," and the office is working to make sure "the letter is safely intercepted and tested" (post, 4:41 p.m.).
• Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M. (intercepted): "A suspicious letter addressed to my Santa Fe office was intercepted before it arrived" (post, 5:45 p.m.).
• Reps. Greg Stanton, Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva, all D-Ariz. (notified): "This weekend, the FBI Phoenix Field Office and the AZ Department of Homeland Security informed me, @RepYassAnsari, & @Rep_Grijalva that suspicious letters had been sent to our offices," Stanton wrote (post, 6:01 p.m.). Ansari posted the same account (post, 6:21 p.m.).
• Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, R (intercepted): Henderson, Utah's chief election officer, wrote that "our local postal inspector was able to intercept ours and hand it off to the FBI before it could be delivered to my office." She added: "nothing is going to disrupt the midterm election. We won't let it happen" (Threads post).

How this started

The first reports came from election offices and senators. On Oct. 15, NBC News reported that election offices in at least 15 states said they had been mailed suspicious packages. It also reported, citing three law enforcement sources, that "preliminary testing of the white powder substance showed that the contents are not hazardous," with more lab testing planned. The same report said spokespeople for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., confirmed their offices were targeted. It quoted an FBI statement saying the bureau and the Postal Inspection Service were investigating "a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices" and were working "to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters" (NBC News).

In Arizona, an envelope of white powder reached Secretary of State Adrian Fontes's office on Oct. 15 and forced "a full evacuation of the Executive Tower," Stanton wrote. He added that "lab results confirmed the contents were not toxic" (post). On Oct. 16, Republican Sens. Mike Rounds of South Dakota (post), Pete Ricketts of Nebraska (post) and Ted Cruz of Texas (post) said their state offices received suspicious mail. Rep. George Whitesides, D-Calif., said an envelope containing "a suspicious white powder" reached his Antelope Valley district office the same day (post).

On Monday, House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland warned members that more offices may receive similar letters "in the coming days." His memo, obtained by CQ Roll Call, said that so far "none of the letters received by Congressional offices have been determined to contain hazardous substances" (CQ Roll Call).