Hyde-Smith seeks second full term as Republicans defend Senate majority
Scott Colom is a gregarious prosecutor who grew up in Mississippi with a Republican father who campaigned for Ronald Reagan and counted political titan Thad Cochran as a friend. The Associated Press notes that such a background might appear ideal for a U.S. Senate hopeful in a Deep South state run for generations by white conservatives.
Colom, however, is a Democrat and a Black man. The AP describes the 43-year-old as an underdog in his bid to unseat Hyde-Smith.
Hyde-Smith, whom the AP describes as a white Donald Trump acolyte, is seeking her second full term in the Senate. Her re-election bid is part of a larger fight, as Republicans defend their majority at the midpoint of Trump’s second presidency.
The AP calls the contest a wildcard matchup, pointing to several variables it says could shape the outcome: Colom’s biography, Mississippi’s demographics, lingering inflation, and Hyde-Smith’s understated profile.
“Mississippi matters,” Colom insisted throughout a nearly 12-hour campaign schedule on Aug. 1.
The race represents part of the broader effort to defend the Senate majority, with Colom stating that “Mississippi matters” as Republicans work to hold the chamber.