Scott Colom wins tight Senate race in Mississippi; Democrats rise to 55 seats

For the first time in more than four decades, a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in the Deep South state of Mississippi: 43-year-old prosecutor Scott Colom was declared the victor after a protracted count of mail-in and provisional ballots, a result that increases the Democratic caucus to 55 of 100 Senate seats starting in January.

Local election officials spent days tallying ballots before news agencies announced Colom's narrow win over incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Hyde-Smith has conceded.

What drove the upset

Colom's campaign benefited from high turnout among Black voters in Mississippi — a state whose population is about 37 percent Black — as well as voter dissatisfaction with the economy and mistakes by his opponent, according to assessments of the race.

“Although this is not the result we worked for and on which we hoped, I respect the decision of the voters of Mississippi,” Hyde-Smith said in a video posted on X after conceding. She also said, “I congratulate Scott Colom and wish him great success in the large responsibility he now assumes, to represent our beautiful state.”

Colom, 43, emphasized listening to constituents during the closing stretch of the campaign. He criticized some of President Donald Trump's policies — on Iran and tariffs — while avoiding personal attacks on the president and his supporters, and pledged to advocate for all residents of Mississippi.

The victory is part of a string of Republican losses in the 2026 midterms and is viewed as a political blow to President Trump and his party, while Democrats see it as evidence they can compete in the traditionally conservative South. The outcome in Alaska remains uncertain, where Democratic candidate Mary Peltola currently holds a narrow lead.

Photo: press material from the event