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Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s US Senate race, making history as the state’s first Black senator since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday after local election officials spent several days counting absentee and provisional ballots. Hyde-Smith’s spokesman confirmed she called Colom to concede.
A Historic Shift in Mississippi Politics
Colom’s victory marks a dramatic political turning point. Mississippi last elected a Democratic senator in 1947, and that winner was a staunch segregationist. The state has been dominated by white conservatives for generations. Now, at 43, Colom — a local prosecutor — becomes a symbol of significant change in a state long defined by racial division.
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His win also adds to broader Democratic gains in the midterm elections, dealing another blow to President Donald Trump’s party. Some Democrats argue the result shows their path forward runs through the American South.
Colom built his victory on strong Black voter turnout, economic discontent and Hyde-Smith’s political missteps. He campaigned on representing all Mississippians. “It’s got to be about having a party that represents rural America again, suburban America, urban America,” he said during the campaign.
A Campaign That Caught National Attention
Despite its historic potential, the race attracted national Democratic support relatively late. Black senators including Georgia’s Raphael Warnock and Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks urged donors and party leaders to treat the contest as winnable. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer eventually helped Colom raise money. Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris also campaigned for him in the final weeks.
Colom ran a sharp and creative campaign. After Hyde-Smith dismissed high beef prices by suggesting consumers could choose other proteins, Colom released an ad showing voters saying they would “pick another senator instead.” He also walked the line of Trump supporters outside a rally in Corinth, Mississippi, introducing himself and listening to their concerns.
Rather than attacking Trump personally, Colom focused his criticism on Hyde-Smith. He framed her as ineffective in Washington — a message that resonated in a state accustomed to powerful long-serving senators like Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, who delivered significant federal funding to Mississippi.
A Complex History Between Colom and Hyde-Smith
There is notable irony in Hyde-Smith’s defeat. In 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Colom for a federal judgeship in Mississippi. Hyde-Smith blocked his confirmation using a Senate tradition that allows members to reject a president’s judicial nominees in their home state. Colom said his Senate campaign was never about settling that score.
He closed his campaign with an ad filmed at the Jackson home of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, who was assassinated in his driveway in 1963. “He was killed for helping Mississippians vote,” Colom said. “On Tuesday, use your vote and honour everyone who died for that right.”
Looking ahead, Colom said his goal is to serve well enough that future generations face no barriers. “My job is to do well enough,” he said, “that the next time some young Black boy or girl wants to be United States senator, nobody says they shouldn’t get a chance.”
