Scott Colom Flips Mississippi Senate Seat for Democrats

By Staff, Agencies

Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's Senate race, flipping a Republican-held seat in a state Donald Trump won by 23 percentage points in 2024. 

The Associated Press projected Colom's victory on Wednesday, marking a major Democratic breakthrough in the traditionally Republican state. 

Colom secured 49.2% of the vote against Hyde-Smith's 48.7%, winning by approximately 4,669 votes out of more than 962,000 counted. After more than a week of uncertainty, Hyde-Smith conceded the race on Wednesday afternoon. 

The 43-year-old district attorney for Mississippi's 16th Judicial District makes history as the first Democrat elected to the state's Senate delegation since John Stennis in 1982. 

He will also become Mississippi's first Black senator elected directly by voters and the first Black person elected to statewide office there since Reconstruction. 

Previously, the state's two Black senators, Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce, were elected by the state legislature. 

The race remained too close to call for several days following the November 3 election, with Colom initially leading by just 43 votes. His advantage gradually widened as officials counted absentee and provisional ballots, eventually surpassing 4,600 votes.

During his campaign, Colom focused on healthcare and criticized Hyde-Smith for supporting Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which included cuts to Medicaid. 

In 2023, Hyde-Smith had also blocked former President Joe Biden's nomination of Colom for a federal judgeship, citing concerns over his alleged links to Democratic donor George Soros, an association Colom said he had not sought.

Colom's victory marks the eighth Republican-held Senate seat flipped by Democrats this year, bringing their Senate caucus to at least 55 seats, including independent lawmakers who caucus with them. 

The gain represents the party's largest midterm Senate pickup since 1986, while Democrats have also secured control of both chambers of Congress.