Mississippi vote count drags in US Senate cliffhanger

In a tense Mississippi Senate race, Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 2,000 votes, with around 96% of ballots tallied, according to election officials on Friday. The slow count is due to Mississippi's stringent procedures for processing mail-in and provisional ballots, which could sway the outcome.

Secretary of State Michael Watson reported that roughly 3,300 absentee ballots and between 12,000 and 20,000 provisional votes remain uncounted. Voters have until Tuesday to address issues with their ballots, and mail-in ballots must arrive by Tuesday. The close race has drawn legal challenges from Republicans, who seek to preserve records of the outstanding ballots.

Colom's victory would be unprecedented, as Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982, and he would be the state's first Black senator since the Reconstruction era. However, the national impact is limited, as Democrats secured both chambers of Congress in the recent midterm elections. The remaining Senate races, including Alaska, will be updated on November 10, 13, and 18.