Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race over incumbent Hyde-Smith

Colom becomes first Black senator from Mississippi in more than 140 years

Democrat Scott Colom won the US Senate race in Mississippi, unseating incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in a contest separated by only a few thousand votes. The margin was close enough that the race could not be called until more than a week after election day, while local officials counted every ballot that had arrived before the deadline.

The victory makes Colom the first Black person from Mississippi to be elected to the US Senate in more than 140 years. He is also the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 1982, ending a Republican winning streak in Mississippi that dates back to that year.

Colom won with 49.2% of the vote, according to figures from CBS. Hyde-Smith received 48.7%, and an independent candidate took 2.1%.

Hyde-Smith congratulated Colom in a video posted on X on Wednesday evening and wished him well. “While this was not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” she said.

The result gives Democrats a 55-seat majority in the Senate, with a knife-edge race in Alaska still to be called. It was never expected to be this close: Hyde-Smith ran for re-election in a state that President Donald Trump won in the 2024 election by more than 22 points.

The Mississippi contest adds to a series of major Democratic wins in the midterm elections, in which the party won control of both the House and the Senate. Democrats took Senate seats in numerous Republican strongholds, including Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. Republicans lost several races in typically conservative strongholds such as Texas, Kansas and Iowa.

Polls suggest the Democratic gains were driven in large part by voter frustration with the economy and the war with Iran under President Trump. According to exit polls, voter backlash against Trump’s Republican Party was driven in large part by economic woes, blamed on his administration’s tariffs and the war with Iran.

Colom, a local prosecutor, appeared to ride a national wave of resentment against Republicans. He highlighted Hyde-Smith’s support for Trump’s tariffs and gave her the nickname “Cindy High Prices.” The Democrat campaigned aggressively, visiting all 82 of Mississippi’s counties.

Hyde-Smith’s campaign assailed Colom as a puppet of the billionaire liberal donor George Soros, whose family has helped fund the Democrat’s political campaigns. The Republican incumbent was also criticized for a lack of public appearances.