US-Wahlen: Erstmals seit 1982: Demokrat holt Senatssitz in Mississippi
Mississippi gilt als verlässliche Hochburg der Republikaner, doch der Unmut über Präsident Trump hilft den Demokraten. Mehr als eine Woche nach der Wahl gibt es dort nun Klarheit.
For the first time in more than four decades, a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in the southern state of Mississippi, according to the Associated Press, nearly a week after the vote count and polls were analyzed. First-term Republican candidate Cindy Hyde-Smith narrowly lost to Scott Colom, a lawyer. Colom would become the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since the end of the 19th century, expanding Democrats' majority in the Senate to 55 of 100 seats starting in January.
The race in Alaska remains undecided, with Democratic candidate Mary Peltola currently leading narrowly. Mississippi is a Republican-leaning state, where recent discontent with President Donald Trump's policies had opened opportunities for Democrats. Trump was ahead of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris by more than 20 percentage points in the 2024 presidential race.
Trump also campaigned for a narrow victory in the midterm elections, introducing his opponent in the campaign as "Cindy High Prices" (approximately "Cindy of high prices"). Skyrocketing living costs were a central theme throughout the campaign, with many voters blaming Trump's policies for the increasingly high gas prices, including the Iran war.
In 1875, former enslaved senator Blanche Kelso Bruce served a full term in the U.S. Senate from Mississippi, becoming the first African American to do so. African Americans' social status and the protection of voting rights were also part of the campaign themes. Colom criticized Republican plans to redraw voting districts to their advantage.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
