Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

World

WATCH: How Mississippi Sen.-elect Scott Colom's win is 145 years in the making

ABC News' Faith Abuby details the historic win of Mississippi Sen.-elect Scott Colom as the state's first Democrat to win a Senate seat since 1982 and the first Black senator since Reconstruction.

WATCH: How Mississippi Sen.-elect Scott Colom's win is 145 years in the making

Democrat Scott Colom secured a historic victory in Mississippi's Senate race, marking his party's first win in the deeply conservative state in over 140 years. This triumph puts the Democrats at 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, with the race in Alaska still pending. Colom, 43, garnered 49.2% of the vote, while incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Republican candidate, received 48.7%.

An independent candidate received 2.1% of the votes. Hyde-Smith, after congratulating Colom via video, acknowledged the voters' decision. Colom's speech at Tougaloo College, greeted by a crowd of supporters, encapsulated his message of collective effort, stating, "It’s something we did." This close election defied expectations, given Hyde-Smith's re-election bid in a state that President Donald Trump won by a wide margin in 2024.

Democrats have achieved numerous wins in the midterms, including the US House of Representatives and the Senate. Colom capitalized on national dissatisfaction with the economy and the Iran war under Trump, positioning himself as a voice against Trump's policies. The Democrat's campaign involved visits to all 82 counties of Mississippi, while Hyde-Smith criticized Colom as a "puppet of billionaire liberal donor George Soros."

Written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

This story

This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.

Read the original at abcnews.com →

More in World

More from Thursday 12 November →