Mississippi Senate: Longshot Ty Pinkins says he aimed to spoil Hyde-Smith, boost Colom vote

Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom led incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes on Tuesday night, according to Fortune. Colom, a district attorney from northeast Mississippi, was previously nominated for a federal judgeship by President Joe Biden in 2022, but Hyde-Smith blocked the nomination citing his past support for a PAC funded by George Soros and his opposition to legislation intended to protect female athletes.

Fortune reports that rising beef prices may have contributed to Colom's lead. When asked about the rising cost of beef in February, Hyde-Smith, a cattle rancher, responded that there are "so many proteins to choose from." The average price of a pound of ground beef rose from $5.55 in January 2025 to $6.79 in September.

Aaron Hitefield, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, noted that voters appeared "really enthusiastic" about Colom, while there was "a lot of voter apathy" regarding Hyde-Smith. Additionally, Ty Pinkins stated that he avoided campaigning in heavily Black areas of Mississippi to avoid harming the chances of Colom, who is also Black.

Brief written by urgent.news from CNBC, The Hill, Fortune — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.