United States prosecutor and Democrat Scott Colom has made history in Mississippi by becoming the deeply conservative state’s first Black senator in more than 150 years and ushering in the first Democratic victory there in more than four decades.
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Colom → make → decades
Senator-elect Colom’s narrow victory against Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith was declared late on Wednesday, more than a week after the US midterms, which many have called a “blue tsunami” as Democrats firmly seized control of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
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Democrats → declare → Representatives
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Thune → win → losses
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It has been 43 years since Democrats last won a Senate seat in the state, in 1982.
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Democrats → grow → 1982
But Colom’s win is significant beyond party politics and marks a turning point for Mississippi’s African American community too: he’ll be the first Black American senator since 1874.
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he → mark → 1874
Here’s what we know:
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we → ’ → what
Colom beat Hyde-Smith, the incumbent and an ally of President Donald Trump, by fewer than 5,000 votes after 99 percent of ballots had been counted late on Wednesday.
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percent → beat → Wednesday
Hyde-Smith had been ahead in polling for Mississippi, where Trump won by 23 points in 2024.
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Trump → win → 2024
Colom’s win puts Democratic Senate control at 55-44.
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win → put → 55
Another tight race in Alaska is still being counted, although Democrat Mary Peltola is also leading there by a slim margin.
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Peltola → count → margin
Only 14 Black senators have ever been elected or appointed in the US.
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senators → elect → US
On Wednesday, after the results were called, Colom told supporters at his victory party in Jackson that he had come close to giving up.
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he → call → Jackson
“There were times when I was tired, and I felt like I couldn’t keep going, but I kept the faith,” the politician said, speaking at the historically Black Tougaloo College.
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politician → be → College
“I had the courage to believe in Mississippi.
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I → have → Mississippi
I had the courage to understand that we can show the country that Mississippi matters.”
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Mississippi → have → country
Colom continued to thank his supporters in a series of messages on X on Thursday.
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Colom → continue → Thursday
“This victory belongs to all of us, and I am honored to be your new senator-elect,” he posted.
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he → belong → us
Colom, 43, is a lawyer who has served as a Mississippi prosecutor since 2016 until this year.
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who → serve → year
He is married to Nadia Colom and has two children.
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He → have → children
His identical twin brother, Andrew, played a major role in his campaign.
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brother → play → campaign
The politician was born in Columbus and comes from a family of lawyers.
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politician → bear → lawyers
In interviews, Colom has said he decided to run to “look out for the people”, especially on the issue of affordability.
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he → say → affordability
He accused incumbent Hyde-Smith of neglecting the state and “selling out” Mississippians.
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He → accuse → Mississippians
In 2015, Colom became the first Black American to be elected as district attorney for the 16th Judicial District, which includes the white-majority counties of Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha.
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which → become → Clay
One of his most notable cases was Eddie Lee Howard, a Black American man who had spent 26 years on death row for murder but was released in 2021 as a result of a lack of evidence.
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who → spend → evidence
After a judge dismissed the murder charge against him, Colom confirmed that prosecutors were dropping it.
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prosecutors → dismiss → it
In 2022, Colom was nominated as a US district judge by ex-President Joe Biden, but his nomination was blocked by Hyde-Smith, who claimed he was supporting transgender athletes and that he received funding from left-wing billionaire George Soros.
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he → nominate → Soros
How did Colom win over Republican voters?
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Colom → win → voters
Many have credited Colom’s endearing personality, his respectful rhetoric, and especially his simple but effective campaign advertisements that supporters say are both funny and thought-provoking.
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supporters → credit → personality
He naturally appealed to Black voters, but also managed to reach the white majority.
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He → appeal → majority
In one advertisement, Colom played on his opponent’s weaknesses.
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Colom → play → weaknesses
In February, a TV reporter had asked Hyde-Smith, a rancher, how Republicans were attempting to address rising beef prices amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
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Republicans → ask → Iran
Hyde-Smith suggested that Mississippians find alternatives.
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Mississippians → suggest → alternatives
“You know, you have so many proteins to choose from,” she said.
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she → know → proteins
The response drew outrage.
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response → draw → outrage
Colom’s advertisement called on people not to pick another protein, but to “pick another senator instead”.
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advertisement → call → senator
Colom’s wife, Nadia, featured prominently in the campaign.
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wife → feature → campaign
In one advertisement, just as Colom tells a reporter he does not have a nickname, Nadia appears and calls him “Sweet Thang”.
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Nadia → tell → him
Colom’s final campaign video struck a more melancholy tone.
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video → strike → tone
He invoked the memory of Medgar Evers, a US Army veteran and civil rights advocate who fought for the US in Normandy during World War II and returned home to fight racism during the Civil Rights Movement when Black people were pushing for the right to vote and to use restaurants or public restrooms.
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people → invoke → restaurants
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
