Colom Unseats Hyde-Smith in Historic Mississippi Senate Upset

CNN and the Associated Press on Wednesday projected a victory for Democrat Scott Colom over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, eight days after the Nov. 3 midterm election. Hyde-Smith conceded that evening in a video posted to social media.

A Narrow Uncertified Margin

Unofficial returns compiled by the AP showed Colom with 473,336 votes, or 49.2%, to Hyde-Smith’s 468,667, or 48.7%, a margin of 4,669 votes with about 99% of the vote counted. Independent Ty Pinkins received 20,234 votes, or 2.1%.

Mississippi requires only a plurality in regular federal general elections, so the lead does not trigger a runoff. The totals remain uncertified; counties have until Friday, Nov. 13, to submit certified results to the secretary of state.

First Democrat Elected Since 1982

Colom, 43, a district attorney in north Mississippi, is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from the state since John C. Stennis in 1982.

Mississippi Today reported that he is also the first Black person elected to any statewide office in Mississippi since Reconstruction, and the first Black U.S. senator from the state since Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce, who were chosen by the legislature in the 1870s.

Asked about the prospect of becoming the first Black man in more than a century to win a Senate race in Mississippi, Colom said he did not want to “be the last.”

Hyde-Smith Concedes the Race

“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith said. “I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.”

Hyde-Smith, 67, was appointed in 2018 after Sen. Thad Cochran retired, won a special election later that year and took a full term in 2020. President Donald Trump, who carried Mississippi by nearly 23 points in 2024, campaigned for her in the closing days of the race.

Costs and the Midterm Wave

Forecasters had rated the contest as likely Republican. Colom’s campaign focused on the cost of living, including a widely shared ad that mocked Hyde-Smith’s suggestion that consumers facing high beef prices could “pick another protein,” with supporters saying they would rather pick another senator.

Colom told Reuters in October that voters felt betrayed by Trump administration policies such as the war in Iran, which he said had driven up fuel prices. Trump has said the Iran war “largely” cost Republicans the midterms, and Steve Bannon has blamed midterm losses on a break with MAGA pledges, including “no foreign wars.”

Reuters said the Mississippi result left Democrats with a 55-44 Senate edge, with Alaska’s race still uncalled.