Washington — The Senate midterm race in deeply conservative Mississippi remained undecided Wednesday morning, as Democrat Scott Colom mounted an unexpectedly strong challenge to Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
With 96% of the vote counted, only a few dozen ballots separated the candidates in an extraordinarily close contest for the Magnolia State.
Hyde-Smith, 67, has served in the Senate since 2018 and is seeking another term. Colom, a district attorney, ran a formidable campaign that could give Democrats another victory.
Democrats recorded a series of Senate wins Tuesday night, including in states that President Trump carried by double digits in the 2024 election. After flipping more than four GOP-held seats, Democrats secured enough victories to take control of the chamber next year. A Colom victory would expand their majority further.
Colom, 43, is a seventh-generation Mississippian who focused his campaign on the cost of living and health care. Democrats began directing resources to the race in recent weeks after identifying a potential pickup opportunity, although a victory still appeared highly unlikely heading into Election Day.
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President Trump carried Mississippi by 20 points in 2024, and the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.
Addressing supporters in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Colom said, “The results are all trending in our direction.”
“We are trending in counties that people thought we had no chance to compete in,” Colom said. “And we’re winning them.”
The Mississippi contest remains unresolved as Alaska’s Senate race also awaits a result, leaving the eventual size of the Democratic majority uncertain.
