Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race in historic upset
Colom's projected victory over Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith makes him Mississippi's first Black senator since Reconstruction and increases Democrats' Senate advantage to 55-44.
By Amir Navarro ·
Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, according to media projections released Wednesday, delivering an upset in a state long dominated by Republicans. The 43-year-old district attorney becomes Mississippi's first Black senator since the Reconstruction period following the US Civil War and its first Democrat elected to the Senate since John Stennis in 1982.
The contest was among the last to be called after the November 3 midterm elections. The latest results compiled by media organizations put Colom ahead by approximately 4,600 votes, a margin of 0.5 percentage point. His victory brings the Democrats' advantage in the 100-seat Senate to 55-44, with the Alaska race still unresolved.
The result added to broad Democratic gains nationwide that cost President Donald Trump's Republicans control of both chambers of Congress. Democrats have gained 41 House seats so far, putting them ahead by 254 seats to 168, while 13 contests remain uncalled. A Democratic-controlled Congress gives the opposition an opportunity to obstruct highly partisan legislation and investigate the Trump administration.
Speaking to supporters holding signs identifying him as senator-elect, Colom described a campaign marked by doubts, exhaustion and difficulty attracting financial support. He said some potential donors would not answer his calls because they did not believe he could win. Despite moments when the campaign appeared unlikely to succeed, he told the gathering, "But I kept the faith."
Colom made frustration with living costs a central campaign theme. An advertisement featured voters criticizing Hyde-Smith's suggestion that consumers could choose other proteins as beef prices rose. The campaign turned that advice into an argument for replacing her. In an October interview with Reuters, Colom said Mississippi voters felt betrayed by Trump policies, including the war in Iran, which has pushed fuel prices higher.
Two Black Democratic senators, Georgia's Raphael Warnock and New Jersey's Cory Booker, appeared at rallies for Colom in October, giving his campaign additional support. His success also reflected Democratic victories in other states with longstanding Republican dominance, including Texas.
Hyde-Smith, 67, had maintained a lead in opinion polls. She was appointed to the Senate in 2018 and won a special election later that year. Trump, who carried Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points in 2024, campaigned for her toward the end of the contest. After the result, Hyde-Smith congratulated Colom and wished him well in a video shared on social media.
The election carries particular historical significance in Mississippi, a former slave state with a majority-white electorate. It became firmly Republican during the political realignment that followed the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The state was the setting for many of that movement's defining struggles, as Black residents faced discrimination in voting, jobs, schools and public accommodations. Before Colom, the last Black candidate elected to represent Mississippi in the Senate was Blanche Bruce, a formerly enslaved man elected in 1874.
