Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett on Thursday confirmed a “suspicious package” addressed to the Division of Elections Office was “intercepted,” adding Tennessee to the list of at least seven states where officials have reported similar incidents.
“We can confirm that a suspicious package addressed to the State Division of Elections Office was intercepted,” Hargett said in a social media post he said he published in response to inquiries from both Tennessee and national media outlets.
Indicating the package was shipped through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Hargett stated, “The package never reached its intended destination. We appreciate the FBI and USPS for taking election threats seriously.”
Statements confirming similar incidents were first released on Tuesday by Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry and Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax, whose offices were both evacuated due to the letters.
Landry confirmed her office closed after an Elections Division employee opened a package containing “white powder” on Tuesday around 12:20 p.m., while Ziriax said the Oklahoma Election Board evacuated on Tuesday morning.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose later reported on Wednesday that USPS investigators intercepted a package containing “a suspicious mailing that contained a powdery white substance” and said the FBI was investigating.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission reported the next incident, saying it received a “suspicious piece of mail” on Wednesday afternoon before 3 p.m. and that the letter “appeared to match suspicious mail received in other states containing an unidentified powdery substance.”
While the suspicious mail made it to the office, the Wisconsin Elections Commission reported that its emergency procedures kept the letter from being opened.
The Delaware Department of Elections later confirmed in a Thursday press release that its office received a letter at about 2 p.m. The department said an employee “opened an envelope, which was discovered to contain a white powdery substance,” prompting emergency procedures, including staff being “decontaminated and evacuated.”
Multiple Democrats in Congress, including U.S. Senators Lisa Rochester (D-DE), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), have also reported letters containing suspicious substances, according to The Associated Press, which also said the FBI was investigating.
The FBI reportedly confirmed the investigation on Thursday, according to Roll Call, which reported the agency said it was investigating the matter with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and noted
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” said an FBI spokesperson, according to the outlet. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
The letters were notably received during the 25-year anniversary of the 2001 anthrax attacks, which occurred from October 4-November 20, just weeks after the radical Islamic terrorist strikes on September 11, 2001.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tre Hargett” by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office. Background Photo “William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower” by Warren LeMay. CC BY-SA 2.0.Â
