Powder letters now target senators and election offices

Who was targeted on the Hill: Offices of Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) were among those named by their own spokespeople. Murphy's Hartford office was sent a letter that was intercepted; Padilla's office said USPS intercepted a letter with a suspicious substance. NBC News, citing a spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said a letter addressed to Schumer was also intercepted. A House sergeant-at-arms notice said no House members had been identified as intended recipients. NBC Connecticut separately reported Hartford firefighters and police at Sen. Richard Blumenthal's office over a suspicious substance; Blumenthal's office had not confirmed that report when it published.

Election offices: On Tuesday, an envelope with white powder prompted the evacuation of the Oklahoma State Election Board; officials later said the substance was harmless. In Louisiana, an Elections Division employee opened a package with white powder and was taken to a hospital uninjured as a precaution; state officials said tests found no evidence of harmful substances. In Ohio, U.S. Postal Service investigators stopped a letter bound for Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office. Oklahoma election board secretary Paul Ziriax said the incident "does not impact our ability to conduct elections." LaRose told county boards to "be vigilant in the days ahead."

Timeline: Tue., Oct. 13 — Oklahoma and Louisiana election offices report white-powder packages. Wed., Oct. 14 — Ohio says a letter to LaRose was intercepted; national secretary-of-state and election-director groups condemn threats to election workers. Thu., Oct. 15 — Senate and House sergeant-at-arms notices warn of letters to congressional offices; Murphy, Padilla (and, per NBC, Schumer) are named as targets whose mail was intercepted.

What's still unknown: Who sent the letters, how many offices were targeted in total, whether every envelope contained the same substance, and whether the congressional and election mailings are from the same sender. The FBI has not named a suspect. Louisiana's FBI lab result had not been reported as final in earlier state coverage.

Updated Oct. 15, 2026, ~1:15 p.m. PT: congressional offices are now in the same federal probe as the state election mailings. Murphy and Padilla are confirmed by their offices to CBS News, Roll Call and NBC News. Schumer's intercepted letter is from NBC News citing his spokesperson; CBS and Roll Call named Murphy and Padilla but not Schumer. NBC Connecticut reported Hartford fire and police also at Sen. Richard Blumenthal's office over a suspicious substance; his office had not confirmed when that report posted. Substance tests: Oklahoma officials said the powder there was harmless; Louisiana officials said tests found no evidence of harmful substances, with an FBI lab test still cited as pending in earlier state reporting. The FBI has not released a full count of letters or named a suspect.