Democrat Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Seat Defeating Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith

Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a stunning loss in Mississippi that gives Democrats their 55th seat in the U.S. Senate following the November midterm election. As absentee and provisional ballots were counted across the state this week, Colom’s narrow advantage over Hyde-Smith widened from a couple hundred votes to nearly 5,000 votes. The Associated Press called the race Wednesday evening with 49.2 percent to Hyde-Smith’s 48.7 percent. Colom, who has been a district attorney in the state for over a decade, challenged Hyde-Smith after she blocked his nomination to a federal judge position during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Hyde-Smith cited concerns at the time about large contributions from organizations connected to George Soros allegedly donating to Colom’s campaigns, beginning in 2015, for local office. During the campaign, he welcomed Democrats such as Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Pete Buttigieg to appear with him, and he even talked to voters outside of a rally President Trump held in the state in late October. Democrats have made their party’s largest midterm gain since 1986, during Ronald Reagan’s second term in office, with the contest in Alaska the last remaining state to be called. Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.