Scott Colom secures historic Senate win in Mississippi for Democrats

UPDATE - follow-up to Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race in surprise victory for party: Only a few thousand votes separated Democrat Scott Colom from his Republican opponent, the incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, after a race so close it took over a week to call.

The Results

Colom won with 49.2% of the vote, while Hyde-Smith received 48.7% and an independent candidate took 2.1% according to CBS figures. This victory makes Colom the first black person from Mississippi to be elected to the US Senate in more than 140 years, and ends a Republican winning streak in the state dating back to 1982.

Broader Impact

The result brings the Democratic majority in the Senate to 55 seats, while a race in Alaska remains undecided. Democrats also took Senate seats in Republican strongholds like Texas, South Carolina and Kansas during these midterm elections, handing the party control of both the House and the Senate.

Context

Mississippi is a deeply conservative state where President Donald Trump won by more than 22 points in the 2024 election. Polls show voter frustrations with the economy and the Iran war under President Trump largely drove these surprise midterm losses for the ruling party.