Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate race, becoming the first Black man popularly elected to represent the state in the US Senate and ending a Democratic drought that stretches back more than four decades.
Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, secured victory after more than a week of ballot counting in Mississippi, a state that has consistently supported Republican candidates in recent federal elections.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at Tougaloo College on Wednesday, where he held his victory celebration, Colom described the result as the fulfilment of a belief that Mississippi could produce a different political outcome.
“All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this,” he said. “I had the courage to believe in Mississippi. I had the courage to understand that we can show the country that Mississippi matters.”
He acknowledged that his campaign had experienced difficult moments when victory appeared unlikely but said his faith helped him continue.
Colom established a narrow advantage over Hyde-Smith late on election night. His lead increased as election officials processed absentee and provisional ballots, eventually leaving the Republican incumbent unable to close the gap.
The Associated Press called the contest on Wednesday after the outstanding votes showed that Hyde-Smith could not overtake her challenger.
In a concession video posted on social media, Hyde-Smith accepted the result and congratulated the incoming senator.
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” she said.
She also wished Colom well as he prepared to assume what she described as the responsibility of representing the state.
Historic breakthrough for Black representation
Colom’s victory carries considerable historical significance for Mississippi, which has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.
The state has also not sent a Black senator to Washington since 1875, during the Reconstruction period following the American Civil War.
Colom becomes the first Black man popularly elected to the Senate from Mississippi. During Reconstruction, the state’s senators were selected by lawmakers rather than through a direct popular vote.
His election also gives Mississippi a prominent place in the history of Black representation in the US Senate. The state was the first to send Black lawmakers to Congress and has now elected more Black senators than any state apart from Illinois.
The last Black man elected to the Senate from Mississippi was Blanche K Bruce, who was born into slavery.
Meanwhile, the last Democrat elected to represent the state in the Senate was John C Stennis, a politician who maintained staunch segregationist positions through much of his career.
Democratic gains reshape the Senate
Colom’s victory forms part of a wider Democratic advance in the 2026 midterm elections, which saw Republicans lose ground in several places where Democrats had struggled to compete for decades.
With his addition, Democrats are expected to hold at least 55 Senate seats, representing the party’s largest midterm gain since 1986.
Across the southern United States, opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration and concerns about proposed changes to congressional district boundaries helped shape the election atmosphere.
Trump’s attempt to redraw majority-Black districts, a move critics said could weaken the influence of largely Democratic voting blocs, became another issue motivating voters.
Colom’s campaign also attracted national political figures. Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris and former president Bill Clinton visited Mississippi towards the end of the contest as the race became increasingly competitive.
Trump had previously travelled to the state to campaign for Hyde-Smith.
Colom’s political career and blocked judicial appointment
Before entering the Senate race, Colom had already established a political record in Mississippi.
In 2015, he defeated a district attorney who had occupied the position for nearly 30 years, becoming the first Black district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th circuit.
During his time in office, he recorded a 94% conviction success rate, according to the report.
Colom is a seventh-generation Mississippian. His father was a longtime Republican who campaigned for Ronald Reagan and maintained a friendly relationship with Thad Cochran, a prominent state politician who left the Senate in 2018 because of declining health.
Colom had also been nominated by Joe Biden for a federal judgeship in Mississippi’s northern district.
The nomination had received support from members of both major political parties, placing him on course for a possible lifetime appointment to the federal bench.
However, Hyde-Smith blocked him from receiving a confirmation hearing, preventing the appointment from progressing.
During the election campaign, the Republican senator referred to that decision while addressing supporters.
“I blocked Scott Colom from being a federal judge, and you blocked him from being a US senator,” she said.
Campaign message focused on everyday economic concerns
Colom built much of his campaign around the message that Mississippi mattered and promised to represent residents regardless of their political affiliations.
He made a particular effort to engage voters who had previously supported Trump and other Republican candidates.
A week before election day, Colom attended Trump’s rally for Hyde-Smith in Corinth, where he spoke with the president’s supporters about their concerns.
Conversations focused on the rising cost of petrol, grocery bills and health insurance. Colom later said the direct engagement helped him persuade some voters who might otherwise have been unlikely to support his campaign.
His campaign also attracted attention through a television advertisement that mocked Hyde-Smith’s response to a question about the rising cost of beef.
During a local television interview, Hyde-Smith had suggested that consumers had several other sources of protein available.
“You have so many proteins to choose from,” she told the interviewer.
Colom’s campaign turned the comment into a 30-second advertisement showing a man grilling beef patties.
“Pick another protein?” the man said before adding: “Shiiiit. I’d rather pick another senator instead.”
The campaign extended the message beyond television by taking a taco truck around Mississippi, distributing free tacos to voters under the slogan “pick your protein”.
Election counting and possible legal challenges
The narrow margin made the final counting process particularly important, attracting national voting organisations, election lawyers and campaign representatives to Mississippi.
Both candidates expressed confidence that they would win while officials continued processing outstanding ballots.
Democratic and Republican groups, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and election attorneys from the Elias Law Group, deployed hundreds of volunteers and lawyers across the state’s 82 counties to monitor the final stages of the count.
Mississippi does not have an automatic recount law. A recount can only take place if a court orders one following a lawsuit filed against a county or county election commission by a political party or campaign.
The state’s laws also do not provide a statewide system for challenging ballots, meaning any legal contest would have to proceed separately at county level.
During the uncertainty surrounding the result, Hyde-Smith maintained that she expected to remain in office.
“I assure you,” she said on election night, “I will continue to be your US senator.”
Asked about the statement at a press conference the following day, Colom responded with a brief remark: “Bless her heart.”
Colom begins transition after historic victory
As the counting continued and his advantage increased, Colom maintained an active schedule across Mississippi.
He visited Millsaps College, where he studied, as well as Jackson State University and Tougaloo College.
He also made appearances at local businesses, including Marshall’s Music and Book Store and OffBeat, both Black-owned establishments, and Brent’s Drugs, a well-known Jackson business.
The attention surrounding his victory brought national and international media coverage to the state.
His election now places him at the centre of a historic political development in Mississippi, where Democrats have struggled to win statewide federal contests for decades.
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