Mississippi: Democrat Scott Colom has secured a historic victory in Mississippi’s US Senate election, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in a closely contested race that ended the state’s decades-long Republican winning streak.
His victory marks a significant milestone, making him the first Black person from Mississippi to be elected to the US Senate in more than 140 years. Colom, 43, received 49.2 percent of the votes, narrowly defeating Hyde-Smith, who secured 48.7 percent. An independent candidate received the remaining 2.1 percent. The difference between the two leading candidates was fewer than 5,000 votes out of nearly one million ballots counted.
The result marks a major setback for Republicans in a state that has consistently supported the party in Senate elections since 1982. The outcome was particularly unexpected as President Donald Trump had carried Mississippi by more than 22 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Thank you for believing in me and never forgetting Mississippi. You supported early and it wouldn’t be possible without you. God bless you & your mom! #MississippiMatters
— Scott Colom (@scott_colom) November 12, 2026
Hyde-Smith, who has served in the Senate since 2018, acknowledged the result in a video shared on X on Wednesday evening. She congratulated Colom and said she respected the decision of Mississippi voters, despite the outcome not matching her campaign’s expectations.
Celebrations erupted at Tougaloo College, where Colom delivered his victory speech before hundreds of supporters. Thanking voters for standing by him throughout the closely watched counting process, he described the result as a collective achievement.
Colom remarked that, “They did not believe a moment like this was possible, but I kept the faith.” Supporters also gathered at the Mississippi headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Jackson to celebrate the result. NAACP board chairman Leon Russell described the victory as historic, highlighting the role of community organisation and support, particularly among Black voters.
Colom, a local prosecutor, campaigned across all 82 counties in Mississippi, focusing on economic concerns and criticising Hyde-Smith’s support for Trump’s tariff policies. He referred to his Republican opponent as ‘Cindy High Prices’ during the campaign, drawing attention to concerns over rising costs.
Hyde-Smith’s campaign, meanwhile, criticised Colom over his connections to billionaire Democratic donor George Soros. The Republican senator also faced criticism during the campaign over her limited public appearances.
The outcome forms part of a wider series of Democratic victories in the 2026 midterm elections, with the party also gaining Senate seats in traditionally Republican states, including Texas, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa. Voter concerns over economic conditions, tariffs and the Trump administration’s policies, including its handling of the Iran war, were among the factors highlighted in post-election analysis.
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