Democrat Scott Colom has claimed victory in the U.S. Senate race from Mississippi, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. The Associated Press officially called the race after more than a week of counting outstanding absentee and provisional ballots. Colom’s win secured the closest Senate contest in the country by a margin of only a few thousand votes.
This result expands the Democratic majority in the new Congress to 55 seats, assuming the outcome in Alaska remains undecided. The victory marks a significant moment in a midterm election characterized by numerous surprising upsets for the Democratic Party. It highlights a dramatic shift in the political landscape across the South, driven largely by a surge in Black voter turnout.
Mississippi possesses the highest share of Black voters in the nation, comprising close to 40% of the electorate. Despite this demographic reality, President Trump won the state by 23 points in the 2024 presidential election. The state has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in over 40 years and has not sent a Black senator to Washington since the Reconstruction era.
The state’s rural, agriculture-heavy economy was disproportionately affected by rising prices, a factor that both parties targeted with millions in investment, particularly in the final weeks of the campaign. Colom, a district attorney, centered his campaign message on the cost of living. He frequently criticized the incumbent, referring to her as Cindy High-Prices and arguing that her policies were detrimental to Mississippi residents.
Hyde-Smith conceded the race in a video posted to social media shortly after the Associated Press issued its race call on Wednesday. In the message, she acknowledged the result while expressing respect for the voters. She stated that while this was not the outcome they hoped for, she respected the decision of Mississippi voters and congratulated Colom on taking on the responsibility of representing the state.
Unlike many other contested Senate races that flipped, Mississippi received limited national attention and financial support until the closing days of the election. President Trump held a rally in the state during the final week, while former Vice President Kamala Harris, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, and other Democratic figures made high-profile visits. The Cook Political Report had rated the race as Likely Republican going into election night.
Earlier this month, Colom told NPR that the lack of investment from national Democrats until the last minute was a significant strategic error. He argued that Mississippi had never been a lost cause but rather a betrayed one. He noted that the Democratic Party had spent hundreds of millions of dollars in other states while spending almost nothing in Mississippi, suggesting that the party had not been seriously attempting to win the state.
Colom’s campaign style contrasted sharply with that of Hyde-Smith, who rarely spoke to reporters in Washington and maintained a minimal presence in the state. The difference in approach became a focal point of the campaign, particularly regarding the cost of living. Hyde-Smith, a cattle rancher and former state agriculture commissioner, suggested earlier in the year that voters could choose other proteins if beef prices were too high.
That comment led to a viral campaign ad from Colom. The advertisement featured several individuals expressing disbelief at the senator’s suggestion to pick another protein. The ad concluded by stating that it was time for voters to pick another senator, a message that resonated with many in the state during the final stretch of the campaign.
