Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race, AP projects, as Hyde-Smith concedes
The projected result gives Democrats a Republican-held seat after a close count that has yet to be certified.
Democrat Scott Colom has won the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi, according to a projection issued Wednesday by The Associated Press. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded and congratulated her opponent after a race that remained unresolved for more than a week following the November 3 vote.
The projected result gives Democrats a Republican-held seat in one of the country’s most conservative states. Colom will be Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction, the period after the American Civil War, and the first Democrat elected to represent the state in the Senate since 1982, according to Mississippi Today.
A count awaiting certification
AP called the race for Colom after an update from Jackson County. At that point, he led Hyde-Smith by 4,669 votes out of 962,237 counted, the news agency reported. Local broadcaster WLOX put Colom at 49.2% of the vote, ahead of the senator’s 48.7%; independent candidate Ty Pinkins had 2.1%.
The figures are unofficial. AP estimated that fewer than 12,000 ballots remained to be reviewed before Friday’s deadline for counties to certify their results. Many are provisional ballots, known in Mississippi as affidavit ballots; some may not meet the requirements to be counted.
Hyde-Smith conceded in a video message and called Colom to congratulate him, AP reported. The projection and the candidate’s concession come ahead of official certification. The agency says Mississippi has no general recount law for this election and that a judicial review would require a court challenge.
A shift in a conservative state
Donald Trump carried Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. Hyde-Smith has held the seat since 2018 and was seeking a second full term. The president traveled to the state in October to campaign for her.
Colom, a district attorney, made the cost of living, hospitals and job opportunities part of his campaign. He received support from national Democratic figures, including former President Bill Clinton. AP reported strong turnout in majority-Black areas of the Mississippi Delta and Democratic gains across much of the state compared with 2024.
Democrats had already won majorities in both chambers of the next Congress. The Mississippi projection widens their margin in the Senate, which confirms federal judges and senior administration officials. The Alaska Senate race remained unresolved, according to Mississippi Today. The new Congress will convene in January 2027.
