U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke in the race for U.S. Senate. View full 2018 Texas election results or subscribe to The Brief for the latest election news.More in this series

Two people were taken to the hospital Tuesday after a “white powdery substance” was sent to the Houston campaign office of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, according to authorities who said the powder turned out not to be hazardous.

The substance was in a suspicious package mailed to the office tower that houses the Cruz headquarters, and it caused the ninth floor to be evacuated for a period of time, authorities said.

Two people “felt ill” and were transported to the hospital, according to the local FBI office. The Cruz campaign said the two people are not on staff.

At 12:41 p.m., the Houston Fire Department said the evacuation was over and “all tests were negative for any hazardous substance.”

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Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously...