Democrat seals historic win in Mississippi Senate race
Democrat Scott Colom has won his US Senate race in traditionally conservative Mississippi, networks have projected, making him the first African-American elected to the chamber from the southern state in more than 140 years.
Scott Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, has secured victory in the US Senate race for Mississippi, networks have announced. This marks the first time an African-American has been elected to the chamber from the southern state in over 140 years. The win comes after a hard-fought contest against Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, adding to the numerous upsets witnessed during the midterms, where Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress.
Following this historic win, Democrats have now gained a solid 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, with Republicans holding 44 seats and one race in Alaska still pending. The Mississippi election saw a close finish, with Colom receiving 49.2% of the votes compared to Hyde-Smith's 48.7%, a difference of 4,585 votes. The outcome surprised many who had doubted the scale of the Democratic victory, fueled by public discontent over Trump's immigration policies, the Iran war, and rising living costs.
Upon learning of the results, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer praised Colom, stating, "Blue Mississippi is here. Scott Colom is the only person who could have gotten this done. I knew it from the moment I met him." With this win, Colom becomes the first Democratic senator from Mississippi in nearly four decades and the first Black senator from the state since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.
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