Early voting numbers for midterm elections are strong for Delaware, matching national trends that reflect a fight to control the US Senate.

Last week, Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons were among multiple federal lawmakers to receive envelopes with a suspicious substance.And Delaware’s Department of Elections was among several election offices nationwide to receive a package containing white powder. The envelope Delaware’s Elections Dept received was tested and no hazardous substances were detected.The incidents come just weeks before the General election - and around the same timeframe that in 2001 an attack by mail that involved members of Congress and others killed five people and exposed dozens to anthrax spores in Washington DC.Back in 2001, American University School of Public Affairs professor David Malet was a researcher and junior staffer for then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle during those DC anthrax attacks. His work now focuses on political violence and this week, Delaware Public Media’s Bente Bouthier sat down with Malet to get his perspective on last week’s incidents.