Washington- Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race, according to CBS News, giving Democrats a flipped eighth Senate seat after the dramatic race was up in the air for days.
Colom, 43, is a district attorney and a seventh-generation Mississippian. He campaigned on the issues of cost of living and health care, while pledging to take action for the Magnolia State where he said Hyde-Smith failed to do so. And he has enjoyed support from top officials like former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who joined Colom on the campaign trail in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
He will be the state’s first black senator since Reconstruction.
Colom thanked his supporters — and emphasized his campaign’s great chances — during a victory speech Wednesday night at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi.
“Throughout this campaign, there were many times when I had to have faith. There were times when I couldn’t get donors to answer the phone. They didn’t believe a moment like this was possible, but I kept the faith,” he said. “I held my first town hall meeting in Jackson, Mississippi. … Fewer than 10 people showed up, but I kept the faith.”
Hyde-Smith, 67, has served in the Senate since 2018 and was the first woman elected to represent Mississippi in Congress.
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith said in a video message Wednesday evening. “I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the enormous responsibility of representing our great state.”
The race became surprisingly competitive in deep-red Mississippi, heating up in the final weeks of the campaign. National Democrats announced last month that they were investing in ad spending in the race for the first time, and the Cook Political Report changed its rating from solidly Republican to mostly Republican, as the headwinds facing Republicans across the map — an unpopular war in Iran and lingering affordability problems — shifted even toward reliably red states.
The race appeared extremely close the day after the election, when at one point only a few dozen votes separated the candidates. But Colom’s lead strengthened in the days that followed.
As Election Day approached, the race appeared to be an uphill climb for Democrats. President Trump won the state by 20 points in 2024, and the state hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982. But the competitiveness of the contest in the latter stages of the campaign illustrates the broader political environment, which put seats on the map that Democrats wouldn’t have dreamed of flipping early in the cycle.
“I want to make one thing clear: An election may end, but our commitment to Mississippi never will,” Hyde-Smith added in her video. “I have always believed that public service is about something much bigger than any one person or any election. It’s about the people we serve, the values we hold dear, and the future we leave for our children and grandchildren. And even though my term in the United States Senate is coming to an end, my love for Mississippi and my determination to stand up for what is right never will. I will always be proud to call Mississippi home.”
With the expected victory, Democrats add one more seat to their majority, marking their eighth setback after the party won seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas and Maine.
In January, Democrats will control at least 55 seats in the Senate, compared to 44 for Republicans. Alaska Senate race remains tough.
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