Trump suffers another humiliating blow in midterms disaster as Democrat Scott Colom makes historic win and flips Mississippi's Senate seat blue for the first time in four decades

Detailed summary

On election night, Hyde-Smith nearly declared victory to a crowd of supporters at a watch party. But Colom proved her wrong.

By VICTOR HELLER, US REPORTER and STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 23:00 GMT, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 23:19 GMT, 11 November 2026

Democratic nominee Scott Colom has finally made history as he flipped Mississippi's Senate seat blue for the first time in 44 years.

The midterm battle was hanging by a thread as Colom was neck-to-neck with longtime Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, who assumed office in 2018.

The last time Mississippi chose a new Democratic senator was 1947, and the winner then was a staunch segregationist.

Colom, a 43 year-old local prosecutor, capitalized on the state's large black population, discontent with the economy and the Trump-backed Hyde-Smith's missteps as she sought a second full term.

At the time the race was called Wednesday evening, Colom was leading Hyde Smith by just 4,669 votes and under half a percentage point.

The Associated Press called the contest Wednesday in Colom's favor after local elections officials spent several days processing absentee and provisional ballots, called affidavit ballots in Mississippi.

The battle had turned into an unexpected nail-biter in an election that has cost Republicans the Senate majority as Democrats now flipped the eighth seat blue.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Daily Mail. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.