Colom’s historic win in Mississippi expands Senate majority for Democrats

Attorney Scott Colom will be the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction.(CN) — A surprisingly close U.S. Senate race in Mississippi ended late Wednesday with the victory of Democrat Scott Colom.The results, which took more than a week to finalize as officials counted absentee and provisional ballots, capped one of the tightest and most-watched contests of the midterms. The election was eventually decided by fewer than 5,000 votes.“For months and months, I’ve been telling everybody everywhere I go that we’re going to win this election,” Colom said during a victory speech in Jackson Wednesday night. “But every time I said it, I pointed out that the people were going to give me too much credit for it. Because it’s not something that I did, it’s something that we did.”Colom will be the first Black senator to represent Mississippi since 1881, and the first ever directly elected by voters, rather than the Legislature.The race unfolded amid a national Democratic “blue wave” that narrowed or flipped several Republican-held seats, even as President Donald Trump had carried Mississippi by about 20 points in 2024**.**Democrats now hold majorities in both houses of Congress: 55 seats in the Senate to the GOP’s 44, and 255 in the House, compared with 168 for Republicans. The Senate race in Alaska remains uncalled, but Democrat Mary Peltola has a slim lead.Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded Wednesday night with a video message on social media.“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters. I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state,” Hyde-Smith said.Colom, 43, is a Columbus native and has served as a district attorney in the Northeastern part of the state since 2016. He was the first Black person elected district attorney in a majority-white district in Mississippi history after defeating a longtime incumbent. A Millsaps College and University of Wisconsin law graduate, he has served as a justice court judge and city prosecutor.He campaigned on lowering costs, expanding healthcare access and public safety, emphasizing his prosecutorial record.An attendee reacts during an election event for Mississippi Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)Colom closed Wednesday night with a pledge to work for all Mississippians.“My commitment to you, each and every one of you, is that, first, I’m going to treat your children like I want my children to be treated. I’m going to treat your parents the way I want my parents to be treated. I’m going to treat your future the way I want my future to be,” he said.Marvin King, associate professor of political science and African-American Studies at Ole Miss, said in a phone interview that the unexpectedly competitive Senate race reflected voter dissatisfaction with the incumbent, but not necessarily a lasting shift toward the Democrats.“It seems as if everyone was caught by surprise, well, everyone except Scott Colom,” King said. “I felt that Mississippians aren’t too different from the rest of the country in the fact that stuff’s gotten really expensive here, and telling people to change their lifestyle is not what they want to hear. You know, they want to hear a solution.”Colom’s focus on the cost of living included an ad about beef prices that went viral. It shows Hyde-Smith saying, “You know, you have so many proteins to choose from.” “Pick another protein? I’d rather pick another senator instead,” various voters respond.Nevertheless, King said the result was historically significant. He pointed to ticket-splitting — voters supporting Republican congressional candidates while rejecting Hyde-Smith — as evidence that some people were specifically turned off by the incumbent.“It’s a one-off,” he said, adding the election fell short of providing broader evidence that deep-red Mississippi is becoming a swing state. “What I see is this was Republicans who voted for a Democrat, not Republicans becoming Democrats.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads