Democrat Scott Colom leads GOP incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in close Mississippi Senate race

UPDATE - follow-up to Mississippi Senate race leans Democratic as Colom's lead grows: Democrat Scott Colom holds a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the unresolved Mississippi Senate race.

Vote Count And Margins

As of Wednesday afternoon, Colom led Hyde-Smith by over 4,400 votes with 99 percent of the vote in. The race was much tighter on election night, when only a few dozen votes separated the candidates. Secretary of State Michael Watson noted that seven counties still needed to upload unofficial results, and 2,732 absentee mail ballots were out ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

Campaign And Legal Moves

Hyde-Smith, 67, has served in the Senate since 2018 and seeks reelection. Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney and seventh-generation Mississippian, focused his campaign on healthcare and the cost of living. President Trump won the state by 20 points in 2024, and Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982. Both parties have deployed legal teams. The National Republican Senatorial Committee and Hyde-Smith filed a request to preserve all affidavit ballots, which the Colom campaign termed a desperate stunt. Mississippi Republican Party Chair Mike Hurst stated that the election is far from over.

Past History And Broader Context

In April 2023, Hyde-Smith declined to back Colom's nomination by then-President Joe Biden for a federal judgeship, citing concerns over transgender issues. Senator Roger Wicker supported the nomination, but the blue slip tradition blocked it. Colom stated the lack of a judgeship did not motivate his Senate run. This Mississippi contest and the Alaska race between Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola remain the final two unresolved Senate races.

Context

Mississippi law does not allow automatic recounts, meaning the winner is decided solely by a plurality of votes once all legal ballots are fully processed and certified. This unusual late-stage competitiveness in a reliably Republican state has drawn national party attention as the final balance of the Senate majority hangs in the balance.