Mississippi Democrat flips U.S. Senate seat in stunning upset

Democrat Scott Colom has won the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, according to projections from networks including CNN, NBC, and CBS. The 43-year-old district attorney defeated Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who has been in office since 2018. Hyde-Smith, 67, conceded the race via a video posted to X, stating she respected the decision of Mississippi voters and congratulated Colom.

Colom’s victory makes him the first African American elected to the Senate from Mississippi in more than 140 years. Free Malaysia Today reports that he is set to become the state's first Democratic senator in nearly 40 years.

The win comes amid a midterm election in which Democrats reclaimed the majority in both chambers of Congress. With one race still outstanding in Alaska, Democrats are projected to hold 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, while Republicans hold 44.

Brief written by urgent.news from Toronto Sun, Japan Today, New Straits Times, Free Malaysia Today, RTE News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.