Scott Colom, Democrat, Wins Mississippi Senate Election After Narrow Count
A close race decided
The Associated Press called the race for Colom after officials counted outstanding absentee and provisional ballots for more than a week. The margin was just a few thousand votes, making it the country’s closest Senate contest.
Hyde-Smith conceded in a social media video posted shortly after the AP call on Wednesday. She said she respected Mississippi voters’ decision and congratulated Colom.
A rare Democratic victory
Colom’s win expands the Democrats’ total in the new Congress to 55 Senate seats, with Alaska’s race still unresolved. Mississippi had not elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than 40 years.
The state has the nation’s highest share of Black voters, close to 40%, yet President Trump carried Mississippi by 23 points in 2024. The state has also not sent a Black senator to Washington since Reconstruction.
Campaign focused on costs
Mississippi’s rural, agriculture-heavy economy was hit disproportionately by rising prices. Colom, a district attorney, made the cost of living central to his campaign and criticized Hyde-Smith over prices.
The race drew limited national money and attention until its final days, despite high-profile visits by Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Cook Political Report had rated the contest Likely Republican before election night.
Colom credits supporters
At Tougaloo College in Jackson, Colom thanked his faith and his campaign team while speaking to supporters. He said the victory belonged to the people who worked together, rather than to him alone.
Colom told NPR that national Democrats made a mistake by investing so little in Mississippi until late in the campaign. He argued that the state had not been treated as a serious opportunity to win.
Key points
- Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by a few thousand votes.
- The AP called the race after more than a week of ballot counting.
- The win brings Democrats to 55 Senate seats, with Alaska still undecided.
- Mississippi had not elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than 40 years.