Scott Colom, the Democratic candidate, made history as the first Black politician in more than 140 years to be elected to the Senate from this state after winning the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi.
Scott Colom, a 43-year-old Democrat, won the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi, making history as the first Black American in over 140 years to be elected to the Senate from this state. He defeated incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in a very close race.
According to CBS data, Colom received 49.2% of the vote, Hyde-Smith 48.7%, and an independent candidate 2.1%. The margin between Colom and Hyde-Smith was just over 4,600 votes from nearly one million ballots counted.
This victory represents a significant shift in Mississippi, a Republican stronghold, where no Democratic Senate candidate has won since 1982.
Colom will be Mississippi's first Black senator since the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War. Previously, Mississippi had Black senators Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce in the 1870s.
Hyde-Smith, 67, posted a video on platform X Wednesday night congratulating Colom and accepting the voters' decision. She stated that although the results were not what she and her team expected, she respects the choice of the people of Mississippi.
Meanwhile, at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) headquarters in Jackson, supporters celebrated Colom's victory with loud cheers and applause.
Leon Russell, chairman of the NAACP board, described the outcome as remarkable and a success born from the unity of the Black community. Despite limited funding, there was strong organization and mobilization of supporters. He called it a historic election.
Colom's win also positions the Democratic Party to potentially hold a 55-seat majority in the 100-seat U.S. Senate, while the Alaska race remains undecided.
Previously, the Mississippi race was not expected to be close, as former President Donald Trump won the state by more than 22 percentage points in the 2024 election.
However, Colom capitalized on dissatisfaction with the Trump administration, especially concerns about the economy, cost of living, impacts from tariff policies, and the war with Iran—issues voters expressed discontent with in post-election surveys.
Colom, a local district attorney, campaigned vigorously across all 82 counties in Mississippi, criticizing his opponent's support of Trump's tax policies and nicknaming Hyde-Smith "Cindy High Price."
Hyde-Smith's campaign accused Colom of being a puppet of billionaire liberal donor George Soros, whose family supports Democratic campaigns. Hyde-Smith herself faced criticism for her relatively low public campaign appearances.
. . .BBC
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