Scott Colom Nears Potential Mississippi Senate Milestone as Vote Count Continues/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Mississippi’s Senate race remains uncalled as Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith await additional absentee and affidavit ballots. A Colom victory would make him the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction, a prospect generating excitement among Black Mississippians. Democrats have already secured Senate control, but the outcome could mark a profound change in Mississippi’s political representation. Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 2,574 votes in Mississippi’s unresolved Senate race, according to CNN figures updated Nov. 6, with an estimated 97% of the vote counted.
Quick Look
- No winner declared: The Associated Press considers the race too early to call.
- Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 2,574 votes in Mississippi’s unresolved Senate race.
- According to CNN figures updated Nov. 6, with an estimated 97% of the vote counted.
- Historic possibility: Colom could become Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.
- Counting continues: Officials across 82 counties are reviewing absentee and affidavit ballots.
- Outstanding total unknown: The precise number of remaining ballots has not been established.
- Tuesday deadline: Eligible absentee ballots can arrive through Tuesday, and voters with identification issues have until then to resolve them.
- Certification ahead: Counties must certify complete results by Friday.
- No automatic statewide recount: Mississippi law has no provision for one; campaigns could seek court intervention.
- Senate control settled: The result will affect the size of Democrats’ majority, not which party controls the chamber.
Deep Look
Mississippi Awaits Result With Historic Stakes
JACKSON, Miss. — Democrat Scott Colom has not won Mississippi’s Senate election, but the possibility that he could become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction is already inspiring celebration among supporters.
The race against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith remains too early for The Associated Press to call as local officials review outstanding ballots.
Colom, a 43-year-old prosecutor, visited Jackson’s historic Farish Street business district Friday, receiving an enthusiastic welcome in a neighborhood closely associated with Black enterprise and civil rights organizing.
“It’s so wonderful! It’s so wonderful to have Scott Colom as our representative,” said Maati Jone Primm, owner of Marshall’s Music & Bookstore.
Her enthusiasm reflected supporters’ hopes rather than a confirmed election outcome.
Colom Holds Narrow Lead as Mississippi Senate Race Remains Too Close to Call
Democrat Scott Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 2,574 votes in Mississippi’s unresolved Senate race, according to CNN figures updated Nov. 6, with an estimated 97% of the vote counted.
CNN Sightline rated the contest neutral, identifying no overall advantage for either candidate in the remaining count. Votes reported since Election Day have generally moved toward Colom compared with election-night returns.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Vote share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Colom | Democratic | 467,930 | 49.1% |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith, incumbent | Republican | 465,356 | 48.8% |
| You Pinkins | Independent | 20,028 | 2.1% |
| Total reported | 953,314 | 100% |
About 20% of the estimated outstanding vote comes from Democratic-leaning Hinds County. Approximately 12.5% comes from Rankin County, which strongly supported Hyde-Smith.
Those percentages describe each county’s share of the estimated remaining statewide vote, rather than the proportion of ballots uncounted within each county. With ballots still outstanding, neither candidate has been declared the winner.
Colom Urges Patience as Counties Review Ballots
Election officials across Mississippi’s 82 counties are examining absentee and provisional ballots, known in the state as affidavit ballots.
Campaign lawyers and volunteers are observing the process as both sides prepare for possible legal challenges.
“We’re going to make sure everything is followed according to the law, and I have confidence in those local officials,” Colom said. “They’re doing their jobs. Got to be patient with them.”
Colom said ballots counted since Election Day favored him. He also questioned Hyde-Smith’s absence from public appearances.
“She’s still our senator. Where is she? Why is she not doing any interviews?” he asked. “Why can’t she explain what her pathway to success is?”
Hyde-Smith Says Campaign Will Continue Monitoring Count
Hyde-Smith has not appeared publicly since election night, when she effectively declared victory despite the narrow margin and outstanding ballots.
On Friday, she emphasized that the contest remained unresolved.
“We are not backing down,” she wrote on social media. “This election is not over. Our team is working across Mississippi to monitor the remaining ballots and protect the integrity of the process. We will see this through to the very end!”
Neither candidate’s statements settle a race whose outcome depends on the remaining count.
Outstanding Ballots Face Deadlines Next Week
The precise number of ballots still awaiting resolution is unknown.
Mississippi allows eligible absentee ballots to be counted if received by Tuesday, five business days after the election.
Affidavit ballots require additional checks because of issues such as a voter’s absence from a precinct list, missing identification or discrepancies between identification and registration records.
Voters with identification problems have until Tuesday to address them in person at their local election office.
When a voter’s name was missing from the rolls, officials can examine registration records and information supplied with the affidavit. Those voters typically do not need to appear in person and can check ballot status through the secretary of state’s website.
Counties must certify their complete results by Friday.
Mississippi does not provide for a statewide recount. Campaigns could instead pursue court orders, generally involving individual counties, to examine ballots.
Outcome Would Transform Representation in Mississippi
Democrats have already won the Senate majority, so Mississippi will not determine control of the chamber.
Its significance lies primarily within the state, where nearly 40% of residents are Black but top political representation has remained predominantly white for generations.
White conservatives dominated state government and the congressional delegation first as Democrats through segregation and the civil rights era, then increasingly as Republicans.
For many Black residents, those partisan changes did not produce proportional representation at the highest levels.
Colom’s competitive campaign has challenged assumptions about what is politically possible in Mississippi.
Late National Investment Followed Long-Shot Campaign
Colom initially received limited national attention. Senate Democrats’ leading campaign organization did not begin advertising for him until late October.
His strong performance came amid a broader Southern backlash against Republican redistricting efforts that threatened Black congressional representation.
Primm said her bookstore, founded in the 1930s and recognized as the country’s oldest Black-owned bookstorerepresents a longer history of community advancement.
She described Farish Street as part of Black Mississippians’ “first migration, from the plantation to the city.”
Colom’s presence as a potential senator, she said, “makes us so proud, and it gives us someone to aspire to. Our youth need to see the possibilities for their lives, and we do when we see our next senator from Mississippi.”
Colom Emphasizes Issues Across Demographic Lines
Throughout the campaign, Colom argued that he could represent all Mississippians.
He focused on concerns about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the war with Iran, presenting their economic consequences as issues crossing racial and political lines.
He even welcomed the attention generated by the extended count.
“I’m so glad the national press is getting to see the beauty of our state,” Colom said.
Supporters nevertheless emphasized the importance of electing a Black senator.
“We are motivated by the gross inequalities we have seen in society and how only one side seems to benefit,” said Sorie Tarawally, a 76-year-old attorney who has long known Colom’s father.
“So, we want a person who speaks to our benefit.”
Closing Advertisement Honored Medgar Evers
Colom’s final campaign advertisement was filmed at the Jackson home of Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader assassinated in his driveway in 1963.
“It’s a powerful reminder of the sacrifice to gain the ballot, and nobody sacrificed more than Medgar Evers and his family,” Colom said.
“What was important to me about that ad is we didn’t ask people to vote for me. We just talked about the sacrifice, talked about the story,” he added.
“We just wanted that to be the closing ad because I wanted that to be the last message that the people of Mississippi heard.”
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