Scott Colom and Black Mississippians stand on the cusp of Senate history as vote count stretches on

A race awaiting final ballots

Colom visited Jackson’s Farish Street business district Friday, where civil rights leaders once organized. Supporters welcomed him as a historic figure even as the outcome remained uncertain. Colom urged patience and expressed confidence in local officials. Hyde-Smith said on social media that her team was monitoring the remaining ballots and would continue through the end of the process.

A potential historic shift

If Colom defeats Hyde-Smith, he would become Mississippi’s first Black senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction. Nearly 40% of the state’s population is Black, yet its highest levels of representation have been white for generations.

White conservatives have dominated Mississippi’s Statehouse and congressional delegation for nearly 150 years. Their party affiliation shifted from overwhelmingly Democratic during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights era to overwhelmingly Republican after the Civil Rights Movement, while Black representation at the top remained limited.

Supporters see wider meaning

Colom was initially considered a long shot. Senate Democrats’ top campaign group did not begin advertising in support of him until late October, while the midterms also showed a broad backlash to Southern redistricting efforts aimed at boosting Republicans and reducing Black representation.

One supporter said Farish Street represents Black Mississippians’ move from plantations to cities. She said Colom’s presence as a potential senator made the community proud and gave young people someone to look up to.

Campaign focused on shared concerns

Colom said he could represent all Mississippians and argued that President Donald Trump’s policies, including the war with Iran and tariffs, affect people across demographic lines. He also described the extended count as a benefit to the state’s 2.95 million residents.

At the same time, Colom and his Black supporters have acknowledged the importance of his candidacy as a Black man. His closing campaign ad was filmed at the Jackson home of Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader killed in 1963 in his driveway, in front of his wife and children.

Colom said the ad focused on Evers’ sacrifice and story rather than asking people to vote for him. He wanted it to be the campaign’s final message to Mississippi voters.