After Prolonged Count, Democrat Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Seat, Defeating Cindy Hyde-Smith
A historic Senate victory
Colom defeated incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s US Senate contest, according to an Associated Press projection released Wednesday. The result followed a prolonged ballot-counting process. The 43-year-old is Mississippi’s first Black US senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. The state has been governed mostly by white conservatives for generations.
Senate balance remains unsettled
Colom’s win gives Democrats a 55-44 advantage in the 100-member Senate. The winner of the Senate race in Alaska had not yet been determined. Democrats also won control of the House of Representatives. They had gained 41 seats and held a 254-168 advantage, with 13 races still uncalled.
Midterm losses for Republicans
The Mississippi result is part of a decisive midterm rebuke of President Donald Trump, whose Republican Party suffered defeats in several states. The victory may strengthen Democratic arguments that the party’s future lies in the US South.
Key points
- Scott Colom defeated Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s US Senate race, according to an Associated Press projection.
- Colom is the state’s first Black US senator since Reconstruction.
- Democrats hold a 55-44 Senate advantage, while Alaska’s Senate race remains undecided.
- Hyde-Smith conceded, and Democrats also won control of the House.