Scott Colom ousts Cindy Hyde-Smith in historic Mississippi Senate flip
· Axios
Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a stunning Mississippi upset, becoming the first Democrat elected to the state's Senate delegation since 1982, AP projects.
Why it matters: Colom's victory marks another extraordinary breakthrough for Democrats in the Deep South, extending the historic blue wave that handed the party control of both chambers of Congress.
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- Colom also becomes Mississippi's first Black senator since Reconstruction.
- Hiram Rhodes Revels became the nation's first Black senator in 1870. Mississippi's last Black senator, Blanche K. Bruce, served until 1881.
Catch up quick: Colom's victory expands Democrats' 55–44 advantage over Republicans in the Senate.
- Worries of a recount — which requires a court order, as Mississippi has no recount law — seemed moot as Hyde-Smith posted a video message to X shortly after AP called the race, appearing to concede to Colom.
- "While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters. I want to congratulate Scott Cologne and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state," she said.
- Hyde-Smith also addressed another worry from Mississippi voters following a significant purge of the state's voter rolls, saying that her campaign "has worked tirelessly to ensure every legally cast vote was counted and that the people of Mississippi received a fair and transparent election."
- "I am proud of what we have accomplished together, but I want to make one thing very clear: an election may come to an end, but our commitment to Mississippi never will," she said.
The big picture: Colom's victory followed a late surge of Democratic spending and organizing in a state Trump carried by 23 points in 2024.
- Hyde-Smith faced warning signs in the campaign's closing months, when Colom raised twice as much as the GOP senator despite her overall cash advantage.
- She was also outspent on TV advertising, with a flood of ads from left-leaning PACs and super PACs pushing support for Colom and attacking the senator for her vote not to release files related to the convicted human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
- Hyde-Smith's campaign also faced criticism over an interview she gave to WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi, where she fumbled an answer about the price of beef, saying that Mississippians had "so many other proteins to choose from."
- Colom's campaign capitalized on her blunder, creating a viral campaign ad urging voters to "choose another senator."
The GOP made a late push to help Hyde-Smith, including President Trump speaking at a rally for her in Alcorn County, where he won by 68% in 2024.
- But it wasn't enough. Hyde-Smith's term will end after eight years.
- She was appointed to the Senate in 2018 by then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, and ran for a full term in 2020, where she bested her Democratic challenger Mike Espy by 10 points.
Zoom in: Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney from Columbus, campaigned on lowering the cost of living, raising wages and protecting rural hospitals.
- His campaign also drew in heavy Democratic hitters to stump for him, including former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.
The bottom line: Colom's win adds Mississippi to a growing list of Republican strongholds where Democrats broke through in the midterms, including Texas and South Carolina.
- It also reinforces the role of Black voters in the Democratic comeback, after the party rebuilt support among a crucial voting bloc that showed signs of shifting toward Trump in 2024.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
This story has been corrected to show that Hyde-Smith's interview was conducted in Biloxi (not Jackson, Mississippi).