Mississippi has elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1982. Decision Desk HQ projected Scott Colom, the District Attorney for the state’s 16th Circuit Court, as the winner over incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who has since conceded the race.
As of the projection, Colom led Hyde-Smith by about 4,500 votes, a margin of roughly 0.5 percentage points. Decision Desk HQ noted the result reflects a 23.4-point swing from the 2024 election and that Colom outran every Democratic House candidate on the Mississippi ballot while carrying only one of the state’s four congressional districts.
Colom will become the first Black senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction.
Hyde-Smith, who had campaigned alongside President Donald Trump in the race’s final stretch, called Colom to concede. In a statement released through her campaign, she said: “While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters. I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.” She added that serving Mississippi residents had been “one of the greatest honors” of her life.
The outcome brings the overall Senate balance to 55 Democratic-caucusing seats to 44 Republican, with Alaska’s race still outstanding.
