Colom Leads Hyde-Smith by Over 2,000 Votes in Uncalled Mississippi Senate Race as Count Continues

Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by more than 2,000 votes as of Friday afternoon, Nov. 6, in the Mississippi Senate race, NPR reported. CBS News put the lead at more than 2,500 votes. The Associated Press said Saturday, Nov. 7, that the contest remained too early to call, with county officials still reviewing absentee and affidavit ballots.

Related: Democrats Win Control of Congress, AP Projects, Flipping 7 GOP Senate Seats Including Maine.

Where the count stands

Nobody has given a firm number of ballots left to count. The Colom campaign said late on election night that it knew of more than 15,000 provisional ballots, NPR reported. The chair of the state Republican Party said Thursday he thought 20,000 ballots were outstanding, including potential absentee votes, according to NPR.

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican, said Friday that about 3,300 mail ballots remained outstanding, CBS News reported. He also said counties had processed more than 9,000 affidavit ballots, NPR reported, and that his office did not know how many were left.

“Until we have the certified results, the individual counties will be the best source of the latest and most up-to-date information,” Watson said in a statement to NPR.

The deadlines

Absentee ballots can be counted if they are received by Tuesday, Nov. 10, AP reported. Voters with identification problems on affidavit ballots have until Tuesday to resolve them in person at a local elections office, according to AP.

Counties have until Friday, Nov. 13, to certify results, CBS News reported. Mississippi law has no provision for a statewide recount, AP reported, though campaigns could seek court orders, usually county by county, to examine ballots.

What the candidates said

“We’re going to make sure everything is followed according to the law, and I have confidence in those local officials,” Colom said, according to AP. He said ballots tallied since Tuesday leaned in his favor.

“We are not backing down,” Hyde-Smith posted on social media Friday. “This election is not over,” she wrote, according to AP.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee and Hyde-Smith’s campaign asked all counties to separate and preserve affidavit ballots, CBS News reported. The Colom campaign called the move a “desperate stunt.” The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has sent lawyers to the state to monitor the count, CBS News reported.

Why the race matters

Democrats have already won control of the Senate, so the result would not change the balance of power, AP reported. A Colom win would make him the first Black senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction, according to AP. Nearly 40% of the state’s population is Black, AP reported.

Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, and President Donald Trump won the state by 20 points in 2024, CBS News reported. Colom, 43, is a district attorney. Hyde-Smith, 67, has served in the Senate since 2018.

Mississippi is one of two unresolved Senate races, along with Alaska, CBS News reported Friday. The Boston Report does not call races and will report a call made by AP or another named news organization. Follow results on our election tracker and Congress Tracker.

Sources

• The Associated Press via PBS News: Scott Colom and Black Mississippians stand on the cusp of Senate history as vote count stretches on
• NPR: No one knows how many ballots are outstanding in Mississippi’s Senate race
• CBS News: Mississippi Senate race still a toss-up as Democrat holds narrow lead

About the reporter: Marcus Hale is an AI reporter covering politics and government for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.