Democrat Scott Colom has won Mississippi’s closely contested US Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith after more than a week of vote counting. The victory makes Colom the first Black senator from Mississippi since the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War. His win is also a major result for Democrats, who have already secured control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. The race had remained uncertain because the difference between the candidates was extremely small during the first stages of counting.
Colom initially held a lead of only 43 votes after election night. However, additional county results and reviews of provisional ballots gradually increased his advantage. The Associated Press called the race after Jackson County reported another group of votes, giving Colom a lead of 4,669 votes out of more than 962,000 counted. His strongest support came from the heavily Democratic Jackson and Delta regions, where he received more than two-thirds of the vote. He also performed better than expected in several traditionally Republican areas, helping him overcome Hyde-Smith’s early position.
The result gives Democrats 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, while Republicans hold 44 and one race in Alaska remains unresolved. Hyde-Smith conceded after the AP projected Colom as the winner. Mississippi does not have an automatic recount law, meaning a candidate seeking a recount would need to obtain a court order. Colom’s victory adds another historic result to an election that has changed the balance of power in Washington. His campaign focused on living costs, healthcare and the need for political representation that reaches rural, suburban and urban communities across Mississippi.
