On a November night in Jackson, a district attorney named Scott Colom stood before a crowd at Tougaloo College and recalled a town hall where fewer than ten people showed up. That memory, held against a state Trump had carried by twenty points, marks a rare reversal: Mississippi, which had not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, now will return one, and a Black senator for the first time since Reconstruction. The outcome arrives as part of a larger tide, one that has pulled seats into play that few expected to contest, and it asks the nation what kind of season this has become.
Democrat Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Race in Upset, Flipping Eighth Seat for Democrats
Fewer than ten people showed up, but I kept the faith.
Mark
Why does Mississippi stand out among the eight flips?
Mimi
Because of where it started. Trump won it by 20 points in 2024, and no Democrat had won a Senate seat there since 1982. Colom also becomes the first Black senator from the state since Reconstruction.
Mark
How did a race like that get so close?
Mimi
Late money and a changing rating. National Democrats put ad spending in for the first time last month, and Cook moved it from solidly to leaning Republican.
Luke
Those are signs the race tightened, not explanations of why voters switched. The source points to an unpopular Iran war and affordability concerns, but that's framing, not measured voter motivation.
Mark
Colom talked about donors not answering the phone. What does that say?
Mimi
That even his own side didn't see it coming early. His first Jackson town hall drew fewer than ten people, and he made that the center of his victory speech.
Luke
Worth noting it's his account of the early days. The reporting doesn't tell us how much the Clinton and Harris appearances mattered.
Mark
And Hyde-Smith's response?
Mimi
Gracious. She conceded in a video, congratulated him, and said her commitment to Mississippi continues.
Luke
The margin isn't given in the piece, only that a few dozen votes separated them at one point and his lead grew. We don't know the final number from this reporting.
O Pulso
- A race that stayed unsettled for days, with only a few dozen votes separating the candidates the day after the election, kept the state holding its breath.
- National Democrats poured advertising money into Mississippi for the first time, and the Cook Political Report shifted its rating toward Republicans' weakness.
- Affordability worries and an unpopular war in Iran pressed on Republicans even in reliably red territory, unsettling a map that once seemed fixed.
- Colom's lead widened in the days that followed, and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded with a gracious message, closing the contest.
- With this eighth flipped seat, Democrats now project at least 55 Senate seats to Republicans' 44 when the new Congress convenes in January.
On a November night in Jackson, a district attorney named Scott Colom stood before a crowd at Tougaloo College and recalled a town hall where fewer than ten people showed up. That memory, held against a state Trump had carried by twenty points, marks a rare reversal: Mississippi, which had not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, now will return one, and a Black senator for the first time since Reconstruction. The outcome arrives as part of a larger tide, one that has pulled seats into play that few expected to contest, and it asks the nation what kind of season this has become.
Late Wednesday night, Scott Colom took the stage at Tougaloo College in Jackson and told the crowd about a town hall he had held in that city early in his campaign. Fewer than ten people had come. Now CBS News has projected that the 43-year-old district attorney, a seventh-generation Mississippian, has defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith after a contest that stayed uncertain for days.
Colom campaigned on cost of living and healthcare, arguing that Hyde-Smith had not delivered for the state. Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined him in the final weeks. He recalled times when donors would not return his calls and did not believe a moment like this was possible, and he said he kept the faith.
Hyde-Smith, who has served since 2018 and was the first woman elected to represent Mississippi in Congress, conceded in a video message. She said the outcome was not what she had worked for, but she respected the voters' decision and wished Colom well. She said her time in the Senate may be ending, but her love for Mississippi will not.
The win is Democrats' eighth flipped Senate seat this cycle, and when the new Senate convenes in January they are expected to hold at least 55 seats to Republicans' 44.
Late Wednesday night, in a victory speech at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Scott Colom told the room about a town hall he held in that same city early in his campaign. Fewer than ten people came. CBS News has now projected that Colom, a Democrat, defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate race, after a contest that stayed unsettled for days.
Colom is 43, a district attorney, and a seventh-generation Mississippian. He will be the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction. His campaign centered on cost of living and healthcare, and he argued that Hyde-Smith had not delivered for the state. In the weeks before Election Day, former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined him on the campaign trail.
In his speech, Colom spoke about how long the odds had looked. There were times, he said, when he could not get donors to answer the phone, and they did not believe a moment like this was possible. He said he kept the faith, and he repeated the phrase when he recalled the sparse crowd at that first Jackson town hall.
Hyde-Smith, 67, has served in the Senate since 2018 and was the first woman elected to represent Mississippi in Congress. She conceded in a video message Wednesday night. She said the result was not the outcome she had worked and hoped for, but that she respected the decision of Mississippi voters. She congratulated Colom and wished him well in taking on the responsibility of representing the state. She also said her time in the Senate may be ending but her love for Mississippi and her determination to stand up for what is right will not, and that she will always be proud to call Mississippi home.
Going in, the race looked like a steep climb for Democrats. President Trump carried Mississippi by 20 points in 2024, and the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982. The race tightened late. National Democrats announced last month that they would put money into advertising there for the first time, and the Cook Political Report moved its rating from solidly Republican to leaning Republican. The shift came as headwinds that hurt Republicans across the map, including an unpopular war in Iran and persistent affordability concerns, reached even reliably red states.
The count itself was close. The day after the election, at one point only a few dozen votes separated the candidates. Colom's lead grew in the days that followed.
The win is the eighth Senate seat Democrats have flipped this cycle, following North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas and Maine. When the new Senate convenes in January, Democrats will hold at least 55 seats to Republicans' 44. What to watch now is how Colom's win is read nationally: as evidence of a political environment that put seats in play Democrats would not have imagined contesting at the start of the cycle.
Citações Notáveis
There were times that I couldn't get donors to answer the phone... but I kept the faith.— Scott Colom, victory speech at Tougaloo College
While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters.— Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, video message
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