Democrat Colom wins tight US Senate race in Mississippi
Democrat Scott Colom won a stunning upset in Mississippi's US Senate race on Wednesday after days of counting, US media projected, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith to become the Southern state's first Black senator since the Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War. It was one of the final outstanding races to be called since Tuesday's elections, in which Democrats…
Democrat Scott Colom clinched an unexpected win in Mississippi's tight US Senate race on Wednesday, ousting Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith to become the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction. Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, projected as the victor after days of tallying, marking a significant Democratic victory in the midterm elections that saw Democrats gain control of both chambers of Congress.
This win brings Democrats to at least 55 Senate seats, with one more race pending in Alaska. Colom, who became the first Democrat to hold the Mississippi Senate seat since 1982, faced Hyde-Smith, a 67-year-old incumbent first elected in 2018, who had consistently led in polls. Trump campaigned for Hyde-Smith near the end of the race, but Colom emphasized addressing voters' grievances, such as opposition to Trump's policies like the Iran war, which caused fuel price hikes.
He focused on grassroots campaigning, including town halls, visits to public housing, festivals, and food truck stops. Colom's win was a stark contrast to the last Black candidate elected to the Senate in Mississippi, Blanche Bruce in 1874. In 2023, Hyde-Smith rejected Colom's nomination for a federal district judge position, citing his stance on transgender issues. The other current US senator from Mississippi, Republican Roger Wicker, backed Colom's nomination.
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