Democrat Scott Colom won Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race on Wednesday, Nov. 11, defeating Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith after more than a week of counting. The Associated Press called the race for Colom shortly before 5 p.m. Central time, WLBT reported.[1] NBC News also projected Colom the winner.[2] Hyde-Smith conceded the race in a video posted to social media after the AP call.[3]
Colom, a district attorney, will become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi since 1982.[2] He will also be the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.[1]
Related: Colom Leads Hyde-Smith by Over 2,000 Votes in Uncalled Mississippi Senate Race as Count Continues.
The final count
Colom carried 49.2% of the vote to Hyde-Smith’s 48.7%, with 99% of votes reported.[1] His lead grew through Veterans Day as affidavit ballots were counted.[1] As of 4:58 p.m. Central time, he led by 4,669 votes out of 962,237 ballots counted.[1]
The count stretched across absentee ballots and affidavit, or provisional, ballots for more than a week.[3] It was the closest Senate race in the country this year.[3] The Boston Report’s election tracker follows the remaining uncalled contests.
What the result means for the Senate
The win gives Democrats 55 Senate seats in the next Congress, compared with 44 for Republicans, by AP figures cited by WLBT.[1] Colom is the eighth Democrat to flip a Republican-held Senate seat this year.[2] Alaska’s race, between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola, is the only Senate contest still uncalled.[4]
Donald Trump carried Mississippi by 23 percentage points in 2024.[2] The Cook Political Report rated the race Likely Republican going into election night.[3] A majority of Mississippi voters disapproved of Trump’s job performance, NBC News exit polling found.[2] For the wider picture in Washington, see the Congress tracker.
Concession and victory speech
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith said in her video.[3] Colom’s campaign confirmed to NBC News that she had also called him to concede.[2]
Colom spoke to supporters at Tougaloo College, a historically Black college in Jackson.[3] “All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this,” he said.[2] He promised to represent all Mississippians, including those who did not vote for him.[2]
Gov. Tate Reeves congratulated the senator-elect. “I hope to collaborate as we continue our very important work to support Mississippi families,” Reeves said.[5] Rep. Bennie Thompson said he was “incredibly proud” of Colom.[1]
How the campaign was fought
Colom made the cost of living the center of his campaign.[3] One viral ad answered Hyde-Smith’s remark on beef prices by urging voters to “pick another senator.”[3] National money arrived late in the race.[3]
The Democratic super PAC Senate Majority PAC spent nearly $2.1 million on ads, by AdImpact’s count.[2] The Republican Senate Leadership Fund answered with a buy of similar size.[2] Trump held a rally in the state in the final week, and former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned for Colom.[3]
What comes next
Colom will take office when the new Congress convenes in January.[1] Alaska accepts overseas ballots through Nov. 18, which is also the state’s target date for ranked-choice tabulation if needed.[4] More coverage is on the Politics and Government hub.
Sources
- WLBT: AP projects Scott Colom as winner of U.S. Senate race in Mississippi
- NBC News: Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race, breaking the GOP’s grip on the state
- NPR: Mississippi Senate: Democrat Scott Colom wins
- NBC News: Alaska judge rules a request by Peltola campaign for ballot data in Senate race is ‘not reasonable’ (live updates)
- WLBT: Gov. Reeves releases statement on Scott Colom’s win in U.S. Senate race
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