Suspicious packages delivered to U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky's office in Skokie and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley's office in Chicago prompted hazardous materials responses on Wednesday. It was the second such incident for both lawmakers in the past week.
"Today, my Skokie office received another suspicious letter. When my staff noticed something unusual about the envelope, they once again immediately alerted authorities out of an abundance of caution," Schakowsky said in a statement.
Schakowsky said her office worked with Skokie Police and U.S. Capitol Police to respond to the situation.
An employee at her Skokie office said they immediately evacuated the office and called Skokie police, who sent a hazmat team along with their officers. The congresswoman said all of her staff are safe, and her office has been given the all clear to reopen.
Skokie police confirmed they were investigating a suspicious package delivered to Schakowsky's office, but did not provide any further information.
Meantime, Quigley's office in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago confirmed they received a suspicious piece of mail on Wednesday. Quigley was not in the office at the time. The building was evacuated, and police and hazardous materials teams were on the scene on Wednesday afternoon.
For both Schakowsky and Quigley, it was the second time in the past week that their offices had received suspicious mail.
"This is clearly another effort to scare and intimidate elected officials, public servants, and voters in the lead-up to the coming midterm elections. I am again calling on my colleagues and political leaders on both sides of the aisle to condemn political violence in the strongest of terms and turn down the temperature of political discourse," Quigley said in a statement.
Schakowsky similarly said she and her team "will not be deterred."
"We will keep showing up, doing our jobs, and fighting for the people of Illinois' 9th Congressional District. Nothing changes that commitment," Schakowsky said.
Last week a suspicious letter with white powder inside delivered to Maria Pappas' office prompted a hazmat response at the Cook County government building in downtown Chicago. She said she did not believe it was related to the mailings that had been reported nationwide, but instead believed it to be a disgruntled taxpayer angry about their property taxes.
Federal authorities have been investigating letter and packages containing white powder substances sent to election offices and the offices of elected officials starting last week, as the 2026 midterm election approaches.
