Over three dozen Congress offices and at least 32 states' election offices hit by white powder letters

Summary

More than three dozen members of Congress, including Democrats and Republicans, have had their offices targeted with letters containing suspicious substances, many of them white powder, less than three weeks before the 3 November midterm elections. Election offices in at least 32 states received similar letters, according to Axios, citing WIRED. The letters have forced evacuations: Virginia Democrat Suhas Subramanyam's Leesburg district office was evacuated Monday and cleared quickly, and Rep. Adam Smith's district office in Washington was evacuated Monday, with staff returning Tuesday. Named recipients include Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Susan Collins and Pete Ricketts, according to Axios. The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent nationwide, and the FBI said some letters contained an unknown substance. The U.S. Capitol Police and the House and Senate sergeants at arms warned congressional offices last week to be vigilant. ABC News, citing law enforcement sources, estimated that more than 100 letters were circulating.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   19 Oct 2026, 19:08 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that more than three dozen members of Congress have had their offices targeted with envelopes containing white powder, less than three weeks before the 3 November midterms, while federal agents try to identify who is behind the campaign.

2. Axios

   20 Oct 2026, 18:56 UTCSource ↗

   Axios reports that at least three dozen lawmakers and election offices in at least 32 states have been targeted with suspicious letters, many containing white powder, forcing evacuations and disrupting election offices weeks before the 2026 midterms.