Scott Colom Wins Nail-Biter Mississippi Race, Becoming State's First Democratic Senator-Elect Since 1982

Detailed summary

Colom defeated incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi since 1982.

Democratic challenger Scott Colom has defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in what was one of the tightest races of the 2026 midterms, marking another stunning victory for his party.

The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday, more than a week after Election Day.

Colom, a district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District, becomes the first Black Senator elected in the state since 1874 and the first Democratic Senator elected there since 1982. Trump won Mississippi in the 2024 presidential election by nearly 23 points.

Colom’s victory marks the eighth Republican-held Senate seat Democrats have flipped in this year’s midterms, securing a majority of at least 55 seats, including independents who caucus with the party. They will nevertheless remain short of the 60 votes generally needed to overcome a filibuster on legislation.

Colom’s margin of victory was narrow: he had 49.2% of the vote to Hyde-Smith’s 48.7%, with an estimated 99% of ballots counted, according to the AP. Mississippi law provides for neither automatic nor candidate-requested recounts, though a court can order one.

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

A spokesperson for Hyde-Smith said she called Colom to concede before the video was posted. At the end of the call, Colom reportedly said, “God bless you and thank you, Senator.”

There are certain paths that a losing candidate can pursue, however, according to a blog post from Derek Muller, a professor and expert on election law at the University of Notre Dame. For one, Muller wrote, they could mount a legal challenge over decisions to include or leave out certain ballots in the count, for instance. Or they could appeal to the U.S.

The Mississippi race remained too close to call for…

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