Democrat Scott Colom is projected to win the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, marking a significant upset in the deep-red state by unseating Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. With 99% of the expected vote counted, the Associated Press reports that Colom holds a 49.2% to 48.7% lead, representing a margin of approximately 4,700 votes. Wisconsin state trooper detained by ICE.
This victory serves as the eighth Democratic pickup in the Senate this cycle, pending the final results of the race in Alaska. As a district attorney representing four counties along the Mississippi-Alabama border, Colom now secures his place in history as the first Black U.S. senator to represent Mississippi since the Reconstruction era.
Colom’s candidacy, initially perceived as a long shot, gained significant momentum during the final months of the campaign. He secured backing from prominent party figures, including former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris. His campaign also gained national attention through viral social media content where he challenged Hyde-Smith regarding her remarks on food prices. He also went viral with a campaign video where he mocked Hyde-Smith over comments she made about choosing other options for proteins because of high beef prices.
The relationship between the two candidates was marked by past tension; in 2023, Hyde-Smith blocked Colom’s nomination for a federal judgeship. Colom has stated that he has since moved past the incident. During his campaign, Colom noted that national party resources were largely absent until the final weeks, as many observers doubted a Democrat could successfully flip a seat in Mississippi. Baby buried alive for 24 hours released from the hospital; father charged. Effectively killing it in current Congress, house tables Hegseth impeachment. According to colom and Hyde-Smith had some history even before Colom’s Senate run, as she blocked his nomination for federal judge in 2023, although Colom has, He has forgiven her for doing so.
In an interview following Election Day, Colom attributed his success to a grassroots strategy that prioritized direct engagement with voters across the state.
He argued that many constituents felt neglected by Washington, stating, “The voters were betrayed. That gave us an opportunity to compete everywhere. And for me, I wasn’t afraid to call that out, and I wasn’t also afraid to say what I was going to do.” According to he, Many of those voters gravitated towards him because they were tired of broken promises in Washington. According to he, Forced him to build a ground game which took him to many areas of the state and put him face-to-face with a lot of voters.
While Hyde-Smith campaigned alongside President Donald Trump in October to solidify her base, the final vote tally remained tight. In the days following the election, both political camps prepared for potential legal challenges, particularly concerning the counting of provisional ballots.
