White Powder Letters Hit Senators and Election Offices

White powder letters mailed to election offices and Democratic senators have kicked off a nationwide FBI investigation less than three weeks before the midterm elections. According to CBS News, federal investigators confirmed on Thursday that they are looking into suspicious mailings sent to state election officials and congressional offices, some of which contained an unknown substance.

What investigators have confirmed so far

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are leading the probe. In a statement, the FBI said it is "investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices," adding that "some of the letters contained an unknown substance." Brendan Donahue, deputy chief inspector at the Postal Inspection Service, said any threat against an election official is unacceptable, according to CBS News.

Officials have not shared an exact count. However, Votebeat reported that three election officials briefed on the investigation were told more than one hundred letters were sent to people and groups across the country. That list reportedly includes at least two senators, Democrats Alex Padilla of California and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and a polling organization.

Votebeat also noted that the total is a mix of recipients, and it is not yet known how many went to election officials versus politicians or other targets. Donahue declined to give an exact number of incidents or discuss possible links between them, citing the ongoing investigation.

Evacuations in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arizona

Some of the white powder letters actually reached their targets. Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said an employee in her elections division opened a package and found a white powder, prompting an evacuation of the Baton Rouge building. She wrote that law enforcement tests "found no evidence of harmful substances" and that nobody was injured.

In Oklahoma, the State Election Board said it received an envelope with suspicious white powder on Tuesday morning and evacuated its office. In Arizona, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said his office received a letter filled with white powder on Thursday afternoon, which led to another evacuation while hazmat workers cleared the area, as Votebeat reported.

Delaware's Department of Elections said it opened a letter containing a white powdery substance on Thursday and followed security instructions. The Wisconsin Elections Commission said it also received a suspicious mail piece, but field testing found no hazardous material.

Senators targeted, many letters intercepted

CBS News reports that at least six Democratic Senate offices were sent letters, most of which were intercepted before delivery, including one aimed at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. A spokesperson for Murphy said the senator's office was "sent a letter with a suspicious substance," and that thanks to safety protocols, he and his staff were not in immediate danger.

Padilla's office said its letter was caught by the Postal Service. Offices tied to Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chris Coons were also named in the CBS reporting. The House sergeant at arms told offices that no House members were known to have been targeted.

Election offices in Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Mississippi reported that their letters were stopped by the Postal Service or law enforcement before they arrived. Ohio's Frank LaRose called the threats "cowardly," saying they will not deter his office from running secure elections.

The Senate sergeant at arms also sent a notice to congressional staff about the investigation, CBS News reports, and federal officials are working to identify whoever is responsible. Some of the white powder letters have been intercepted, and investigators say they will bring all of their resources to bear. A letter meant for Gillibrand was found at her New York City office, where postal inspectors were called to investigate, according to an aide.

Whether the letters are linked to each other is still unclear, and early field tests in Louisiana and Wisconsin found nothing harmful. Even so, every incident forces evacuations, hazmat checks and a lot of stress for the people who open the mail. For more on how crime and public safety stories are unfolding, browse the world section too.

Why this matters for the midterms

This is not the first wave of its kind. Votebeat points out that suspicious packages were sent to election officials in at least six states in twenty twenty-four, and CBS News notes that federal investigators probed a series of suspicious letters ahead of those elections too. Election workers have faced rising threats for years, and this latest scare lands during a highly charged campaign.

Officials say the response matters as much as the threat. Wisconsin's chief election official, Meagan Wolfe, said the incident "will not shake us" and will not affect the general election. Fontes called it "a sobering moment that highlights the reality of election administration in this country today," adding that his office will not be scared out of doing its job.

For voters, the main takeaway is that ballots and polling places are still on schedule, while investigators try to find who mailed the letters. If you want more political coverage heading into November, check the politics section for updates.