Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, securing a razor-thin Senate victory that makes him the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.
The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, more than a week after the November 3 election following a prolonged ballot-counting process. Colom held a lead of about 4,700 votes with 99 percent of the expected vote reported, giving him 49.2 percent to Hyde-Smith’s 48.7 percent. The historic flip expands the Democratic hold on the U.S. Senate to 55 seats to the Republicans’ 44.
Before the race was called, Colom led by smaller margins, such as a 2,990-vote lead at the start of a day that saw his numbers grow as local election officials cured and counted affidavit and absentee ballots. “Scott Colom is the only person who could've gotten this done,” Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer wrote on social media.
Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith on election night: “I blocked Scott Colom from being a judge, and you blocked him from being a senator.” Hyde-Smith went on to say: “And Kamala Harris learned a lesson that we may not quite enjoy her company in Mississippi. I think she… pic.twitter.com/YvQStFlfaC
In 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Scott Colom, then a district attorney, to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Hyde-Smith refused to return a blue slip to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, blocking the nomination. While Hyde-Smith acknowledged that Colom was smart and well-liked in his district, she maintained her opposition.
Medgar Evers was killed in his driveway because he refused to accept a Mississippi where some were denied the right to vote. He stood with thousands who marched, organized and sacrificed so future generations could have a voice. We owe it to them not to take that right for… pic.twitter.com/nEHTihVoIm
On election night, Hyde-Smith gave a speech expressing confidence in her reelection while referencing the events from years prior. “I blocked Scott Colom from being a federal judge, and you blocked him from being a U.S. Senator,” she said.
Colom built his campaign around the rising cost of living, focusing on kitchen table economic issues in a state where voters cited the cost of living and government corruption as their top concerns.
Scott Colom campaigned across Mississippi as his momentum built.
Colom’s grassroots ground game involved driving a truck that offered free tacos, talking to students and alumni at college homecomings, and chatting with voters queued up to see Donald Trump. His campaign focused on the simple message that Mississippi matters, ultimately allowing him to flip Republican strongholds across the state.
Colom delivered his victory address at Tougaloo College, a Black college that served as a haven for civil rights organizers.
God didn’t want us to get it the easy way. He wanted us to get it … the Mississippi way.
Scott Colom
Hyde-Smith conceded the race in a video posted to social media after the AP projected the final outcome. “While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” she said in her concession, adding that her campaign worked tirelessly to ensure every legally cast vote was counted and congratulating Colom on his historic victory.
Earlier coverage: Scott Colom Leads Cindy Hyde-Smith in Razor-Close Mississippi Senate Race
