Country’s closest Senate election in 40 years: Scott Colom wins Mississippi race over incumbent Republican Hyde Smith
A close race decided late
Colom’s win came after election officials counted outstanding absentee and affidavit, or provisional, ballots for more than a week. The Associated Press called the race for the Democrat, who prevailed by only a few thousand votes.
Mississippi’s Senate contest was the closest in the country. The Cook Political Report had rated it Likely Republican before election night.
A shift in Mississippi politics
The result came during a midterm election marked by Democratic upsets and increased Black voter turnout across the South. Black voters make up close to 40% of Mississippi’s electorate, the highest share in the country.
Yet President Trump carried Mississippi by 23 points in 2024. The state had not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than 40 years, nor a Black senator to Washington since Reconstruction.
Costs featured in campaign
Mississippi’s rural, agriculture-heavy economy was hit disproportionately by rising prices, and both parties directed millions of dollars toward the state, especially near election day. Colom, a district attorney, made the cost of living central to his campaign and criticized Hyde-Smith over prices.
Hyde-Smith, a cattle rancher and former state agriculture commissioner, drew attention earlier in the year when she responded to high beef prices by saying people had other proteins to choose from. Colom’s campaign turned that remark into an ad urging voters to choose another senator.
National attention came late
The race received little national money or attention until the final days. President Trump held a rally during the last week, while former Vice President Kamala Harris, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and other Democrats made high-profile visits.
Colom told NPR that national Democrats had made a mistake by investing so little in Mississippi until late in the campaign. He said the state had not been treated as a serious opportunity by the party.
Key points
- Scott Colom narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race.
- The Associated Press called Colom the winner after more than a week of ballot counting.
- Mississippi had not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than 40 years.
- Colom made rising living costs a central issue in his campaign.