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Democrat Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Seat as Hyde-Smith Concedes

Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate race there since 1982 and the first Black senator from the state since Reconstruction. Hyde-Smith conceded Wednesday after a week of counting.

By Quinn BallardPublished

As of November 11, 2026.

Democrat Scott Colom will be Mississippi’s next U.S. senator after Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded Wednesday evening, eight days after the election.

The result

The Associated Press, CNN and VoteHub called the race for Colom on Wednesday after affidavit ballots from Hinds County were counted. When the AP called the race, Colom led by 4,585 votes. Decision Desk HQ projected Colom the winner shortly after Hyde-Smith conceded, with about 49.2% of the vote to her 48.7% with 95% counted.

The state’s deadline to certify results is November 13. Mississippi has no automatic recount.

Hyde-Smith concedes

Hyde-Smith called Colom to concede Wednesday afternoon and then posted a video. “While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” she said. “I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.”

Before the concession, lawyers for the National Republican Senatorial Committee had demanded that state officials preserve election records and provisional ballots, a move Colom’s lawyers called unlawful. With Hyde-Smith’s concession, it’s unclear whether any legal challenge will go forward.

Why it’s significant

  • A long Republican streak. A Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in Mississippi since 1982. Hyde-Smith won a full term in 2020 by about 10 points, and forecasters including Cook Political Report and Decision Desk HQ rated the seat as safely or likely Republican before the election.
  • A historic first in over a century. Colom will be Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction, when Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce represented the state. Mississippi has the largest Black share of its population of any state.
  • A personal history. Hyde-Smith blocked Colom’s nomination to a federal judgeship in 2023, The New York Times reported. Colom told the paper he likely wouldn’t have run for Congress if he’d been confirmed.

The campaign

  • Colom, a district attorney, focused heavily on turnout among Black voters and argued that the political climate had given Democrats “an opportunity.” He was endorsed by former President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned for him.
  • Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the Senate in 2018 after Sen. Thad Cochran resigned, was seeking a second full term with President Trump’s endorsement. Trump campaigned in the state in the final days of the race.

The Senate count

Colom’s win brings Democrats to at least 55 Senate seats. Earlier, Democrats flipped Republican-held seats in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maine. (Our full results.)

The last undecided race is in Alaska, where Democrat Mary Peltola has led Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in first-choice votes. If neither candidate wins a majority, Alaska will run its ranked-choice tabulation on November 18.

Sources

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