Democratic challenger Scott Colom has defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in what was one of the tightest races of the 2026 midterms, marking another stunning victory for his party.
asserted
what → defeat → party
The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday, more than a week after Election Day.
asserted
Press → call → Day
Colom, a district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District, becomes the first Black Senator elected in the state since 1874 and the first Democratic Senator elected there since 1982.
asserted
Colom → become → 1982
Trump won Mississippi in the 2024 presidential election by nearly 23 points.
asserted
Trump → win → points
Colom’s victory marks the eighth Republican-held Senate seat Democrats have flipped in this year’s midterms, securing a majority of at least 55 seats, including independents who caucus with the party.
asserted
who → mark → party
They will nevertheless remain short of the 60 votes generally needed to overcome a filibuster on legislation.
asserted
They → remain → legislation
Colom’s margin of victory was narrow: he had 49.2% of the vote to Hyde-Smith’s 48.7%, with an estimated 99% of ballots counted, according to the AP.
uncertain
% → have → AP
Mississippi law provides for neither automatic nor candidate-requested recounts, though a court can order one.
asserted
court → provide → one
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith said in a two-minute concession speech.
asserted
Smith → work → speech
“I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.”
asserted
he → want → state
A spokesperson for Hyde-Smith said she called Colom to concede before the video was posted.
asserted
video → say → Colom
At the end of the call, Colom reportedly said, “God bless you and thank you, Senator.”
uncertain
God → say → you
There are certain paths that a losing candidate can pursue, however, according to a blog post from Derek Muller, a professor and expert on election law at the University of Notre Dame.
uncertain
candidate → be → Dame
For one, Muller wrote, they could mount a legal challenge over decisions to include or leave out certain ballots in the count, for instance.
uncertain
they → write → instance
Or they could appeal to the U.S. Senate to determine who should be seated in the chamber.
uncertain
who → appeal → chamber
The Mississippi race remained too close to call for days after the election, with the two candidates split by only a razor-thin margin of as low as 0.1% with more than 95% of votes counted.
asserted
% → remain → votes
Counting took longer because county election officials had to individually review affidavit ballots—provisional votes cast when a voter’s eligibility or identification needed further verification.
“Over the past week, our campaign has worked tirelessly to ensure every legally cast vote was counted, and that the people of Mississippi received a fair and transparent election,” Hyde-Smith said.
asserted
Smith → take → election
Both candidates expressed confidence that they would win leading up to the final vote count.
asserted
they → express → count
Colom in a statement said he was “confident we will ultimately flip this seat,” while Hyde-Smith told her constituents, “I assure you, I will continue to be your U.S. Senator.”
asserted
I → say → you
Ahead of Election Day, the Senate race was filled with name-calling and tit-for-tat jabs over the candidates’ differing ideologies.
asserted
race → fill → ideologies
In response, Hyde-Smith’s campaign defended her by saying that there was “no point in debating someone so out of touch with Mississippi that he advocates for the sex change surgeries for children,” referencing Colom’s stance on gender-affirming care.
asserted
he → defend → care
Colom, who Hyde-Smith also called “the most radical liberal” to run for office in Mississippi, in 2021 signed a letter opposing the criminalization of transgender people and gender-affirming care, but has said that he opposes gender-affirming surgeries for minors.
asserted
he → call → minors
Hyde-Smith has similarly sought to paint Colom in a negative light by labeling him a “Transgender Defender” throughout her campaign.
asserted
Smith → seek → campaign
Colom created a nickname of his own for his opponent, referring to Hyde-Smith as “Cindy High Prices.”
asserted
Colom → create → Prices
Colom, whose campaign focused in part on lowering consumer prices, criticized the Republican incumbent for comments that appeared to brush off concerns about rising beef prices in particular, zoning in on a February television interview in which the Mississippi Senator said in response to a question about rising costs for beef and other food that there were “so many proteins to choose from.”
asserted
Senator → focus → beef
Colom’s campaign put out a viral ad that suggested that voters, instead of picking another protein, should “pick another senator.”
uncertain
voters → put → senator
The jab against Hyde-Smith was also made in reference to her support for Trump, whose approval ratings have sunk to new lows in large part due to mounting dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy.
asserted
ratings → make → economy
Hyde-Smith last month called Trump “the best President of our lifetime” during a rally where both Republicans shared the stage
In an unorthodox strategy, Colom attended Trump’s rally in Mississippi in an attempt to talk to voters about key issues and later said he had converted some of those he spoke to.
asserted
he → call → those
“I'm gonna show up and I'm gonna listen, and when on Nov. 3 we pick a new United States Senator, I’m gonna represent them a lot better,” he said on Oct. 26.
asserted
he → go → Oct.
Hyde-Smith, who chairs the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, also levied accusations against Colom for his position on abortion.
asserted
who → chair → abortion
Colom has described himself as pro-life, while saying that he trusts that women will “make the choices that are best for them.
asserted
that → describe → them
When it comes to the war in Iran, meanwhile, Colom has opposed the conflict and its effect in driving up costs.
asserted
Colom → come → costs
Hyde-Smith has for her part acknowledged the war’s impact on the economy, but said it was necessary for national security.
asserted
it → acknowledge → security
She also supported Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” and cuts to Medicaid, which Colom has said he hopes to help reverse if elected.
asserted
he → support → which
The candidates have a history predating their tight Senate race as well.
asserted
candidates → have → race
In 2023, Hyde-Smith blocked Colom from a federal judgeship after he was tapped for the position by President Joe Biden, citing Colom's support for transgender rights, among other issues.
asserted
he → block → issues
The Aporia
