Democrat Scott Colom has won the United States Senate race in Mississippi, delivering an unexpected victory for his party in a state that has sent Republicans to Washington for decades.
Colom becomes the first Black person from Mississippi to be elected to the US Senate in more than 140 years, and the first Democratic senator elected in the state since 1982. He beat Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by only a few thousand votes. Because the gap was so narrow, the race was not called until more than a week after election day, while local officials counted every ballot received before the deadline.
Final vote tally and Senate balance
Colom took 49.2% of the vote, while Hyde-Smith received 48.7%, according to the figures. An independent candidate won 2.1%. The result also ends a Republican winning streak in Mississippi that dates back to 1982.
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The outcome gives Democrats a Senate majority of 55 seats. A tight race in Alaska is still waiting to be called.
Democrats’ midterm gains and voter frustration
The contest was not expected to be so close, as Hyde-Smith was seeking re-election in a state that President Donald Trump carried in the 2024 election by more than 22 points. Democrats have nonetheless recorded a series of major midterm wins, taking control of both the House and the Senate.
The party also won Senate seats in several Republican strongholds, including Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. Polls suggest that voter frustration with the economy and the Iran war under Trump played a large part in the shift.
