Democrat Scott Colom has flipped a United States Senate seat in Mississippi, and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith has conceded. The Associated Press called the race for Colom on Nov. 11, more than a week after Election Day, after the final batches of absentee and affidavit ballots were counted.
Hyde-Smith conceded in a video posted to social media on Wednesday evening. “While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” she said. “I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.”
The unofficial totals tell the story of just how close it was. Colom won 473,336 votes, or 49.19 percent, to Hyde-Smith’s 468,667 votes, or 48.71 percent. That is a margin of 4,669 votes out of nearly a million cast. Independent Ty Pinkins took 20,234 votes, or about 2.1 percent.
Colom, 43, is a district attorney who has served Mississippi’s 16th Circuit Court District since 2015. His win makes history twice over. He is the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi since 1982, and the first Black senator from Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. The state’s two previous Black senators, Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce, were chosen by the legislature in 1870 and 1875, not elected directly by voters.
How the count finally broke
The race stayed uncalled for eight days while counties worked through outstanding absentee ballots and affidavit, or provisional, ballots. Late returns from Hinds County helped solidify Colom’s lead, and the Associated Press called it once the remaining ballots could no longer change the outcome.
Hyde-Smith had served in the Senate since 2018. The result is one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 midterms, and it fits a rough night for Republicans across the country. Democrats have now flipped seven states that President Donald Trump carried by at least 11 points in 2024, including Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, according to CNN. Alaska is the only Senate race still uncalled.
There is one wrinkle to keep in mind. The returns remain unofficial until counties certify them. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson has said counties must submit certified results by Friday, Nov. 13. Nothing in the reporting so far suggests the certification will change the winner, but the official stamp is still to come.
Colom celebrated with supporters at Tougaloo College on Wednesday night. For Mississippi Republicans, the question now is simple, and it is not a fun one. How did a seat they held for decades slip away by fewer than 5,000 votes?
Sources:
- NPR Illinois, Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race
- CNN, Here is how big Democrats won in the Senate in 2026
- USA Today, Democrats react to Colom’s win
- NewsCubby, Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate, defeats Hyde-Smith