After more than a week of counting that kept the outcome uncertain until the very end, Democrat Scott Colom has unseated Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, a state long shaped by its divided racial history. At 43, he becomes the first Black American to hold a US Senate seat from Mississippi since Reconstruction, a reminder of how slowly the arc of political representation bends after a war that remade the South. The margin, a narrow half a percentage point, leaves a quiet question about what it means when a close contest is settled by the count alone, with no recount to soften
Democrat Scott Colom Defeats Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Close Mississippi Senate Race
The first new Democratic senator Mississippi has chosen since 1947
Mark
Why does this one race carry so much weight beyond the seat itself?
Mimi
Two reasons. Colom is Mississippi's first Black senator since Reconstruction, and the first new Democratic senator the state has chosen since 1947. That's a long gap in a state where white conservatives have mostly held power.
Luke
Both of those are historical claims from the reporting, and they're clear. But the win itself rests on a projection. The AP called it, and the margin is what media tabulations show.
Mark
How close was it?
Mimi
Very. Colom led by only a few dozen votes at some points, and the latest tallies had him up more than 4,500 votes, about half a percentage point.
Luke
And there's no mandatory recount law in Mississippi, so that margin isn't automatically re-examined. Whether anyone would have sought one is not something the reporting says.
Mark
Hyde-Smith had led in polls and Trump won the state by nearly 23 points in 2024. What does that say?
Mimi
That the result ran against expectations. She conceded with a video, and her spokesperson confirmed she called Colom.
Luke
Careful with the bigger claim, though. The piece says it will bolster some Democrats' argument about the South. That's an argument, not a finding. One narrow race doesn't prove a trend.
Mark
And the personal history between them?
Mimi
Hyde-Smith blocked Colom's judicial nomination under Biden, citing his position on transgender issues, while Wicker supported it.
Luke
Right, and the source doesn't say what role, if any, that played in the campaign or the vote. That's unknown.
Der Puls
- A razor-thin count kept Mississippi's Senate race in suspense for more than a week, with Colom's lead at times shrinking to a few dozen votes.
- Hyde-Smith, a three-term incumbent who had consistently led in polls, found herself conceding to an upset that rattled expectations.
- With no state law mandating a recount, the tally that emerged from the ballots is the one that will stand, leaving little room for further challenge.
- Colom's victory lifts Democrats to a 55-44 Senate majority and fuels arguments that the party's path forward runs through the South.
After more than a week of counting that kept the outcome uncertain until the very end, Democrat Scott Colom has unseated Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, a state long shaped by its divided racial history. At 43, he becomes the first Black American to hold a US Senate seat from Mississippi since Reconstruction, a reminder of how slowly the arc of political representation bends after a war that remade the South. The margin, a narrow half a percentage point, leaves a quiet question about what it means when a close contest is settled by the count alone, with no recount to soften its edges.
The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday, after more than a week of ballot counting that never felt settled. Democrat Scott Colom, 43, has defeated Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, becoming Mississippi's first Black US senator since Reconstruction and the first new Democratic senator the state has chosen since 1947. For days, his lead swung by only a few dozen votes before settling at roughly 4,500, about half a percentage point.
At a victory party at Tougaloo College, Colom addressed a crowd of hundreds. He spoke of having the courage to imagine a night like this, and of believing that Mississippi could show the country what it is worth. He promised to represent the whole state, rural, suburban and urban alike, and to deliver in ways that improve daily life.
Hyde-Smith, 67, had been favored in polling and had a history with Colom: she once blocked his nomination as a federal judge over his views on transgender issues. She posted a concession video and called him to concede. Nationally, the result strengthens a Democratic Senate majority at 55-44, while the House has also tilted their way. Schumer celebrated with the words "Blue Mississippi is here." Still unresolved are the Alaska Senate race and thirteen House contests awaiting calls.
The Associated Press called it on Wednesday, after more than a week of counting: Democrat Scott Colom has beaten Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's US Senate race. At 43, Colom becomes the state's first Black US senator since Reconstruction, the period after the Civil War, and the first new Democratic senator Mississippi has chosen since 1947.
The count was tight enough to keep the result in doubt for days. At some points Colom led by only a few dozen votes. The most recent media tabulations put him ahead by more than 4,500 votes, about 0.5 percentage points. Mississippi has no law requiring a recount in a close election, so the margin that emerged from the count is the one that stands.
Colom spoke to a crowd of hundreds at his victory party at Tougaloo College. "All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this," he said, adding that he had the courage to believe in Mississippi and to understand that the state could show the country that it matters.
The result is a considerable upset. Hyde-Smith, 67, was first elected in 2018 and consistently led in opinion polls. Mississippi is a state Donald Trump won by nearly 23 points in 2024, and for generations it has been controlled mostly by white conservatives, with racial divisions long shaping its politics and society. Colom had promised to represent all of Mississippi. He described the kind of party he wants as one that speaks for rural, suburban and urban America alike, and that delivers for voters in ways that make their lives better.
Hyde-Smith posted a concession video on social media, and a spokesperson confirmed that she called Colom to concede. There is a prior history between the two. Hyde-Smith had blocked Colom's nomination by then-President Joe Biden to serve as a US District Court judge in northern Mississippi, citing his position on transgender issues. Mississippi's other senator, Republican Roger Wicker, had supported that nomination.
Nationally, the win gives Democrats a 55-44 advantage in the 100-seat Senate. The Alaska Senate race has not yet been decided. Democrats have also won control of the House of Representatives. They have gained 41 seats so far and lead 254 to 168, with 13 races still uncalled. Taken together, the results amount to a decisive midterm rebuke of Trump, whose Republican Party lost in several states.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer marked the Mississippi result on X, writing, "Blue Mississippi is here." The outcome is likely to strengthen the argument among some Democrats that their party's future runs through the US South. What to watch next: the Alaska Senate result and the 13 House races still waiting to be called.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this.— Scott Colom, at his victory party at Tougaloo College
Blue Mississippi is here.— Chuck Schumer, on X
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Deutsche Welle ↗