Democrat Scott Colom Wins Historic Mississippi Senate Race

Democrat Scott Colom has won the US Senate race in Mississippi, ending decades of Republican control in the state.

Election Results

Colom won with 49.2% of the vote, while his Republican opponent, the incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, received 48.7%. An independent candidate got 2.1% of the vote, according to CBS figures. Fewer than five thousand votes out of nearly a million counted separated the two main candidates. The result means Democrats hold 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, with a race in Alaska still to be called.

Reactions and Campaign

Hyde-Smith congratulated Colom in a video posted on X and said she respects the choice of Mississippi voters. Colom delivered a victory speech at Tougaloo College after visiting all 82 counties during his campaign. The victory makes Colom the first black person from Mississippi elected to the US Senate in more than 140 years. Leon Russell, chairman of the NAACP board, praised the black community's organizing work for the win.

Context

This outcome breaks a Republican winning streak in Mississippi that dates back to 1982. Voters across the country have shown frustration with economic issues and the Iran war, helping Democrats flip several Republican-held Senate seats.