Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate seat by 4,669 votes
The Associated Press on Wednesday called Mississippi's U.S. Senate race for Democrat Scott Colom, who led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith 473,336 to 468,667 with 99% of votes counted, and Hyde-Smith conceded that evening. Colom will be the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi since 1982.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
The Associated Press on Wednesday declared Democrat Scott Colom the winner of Mississippi's U.S. Senate race, eight days after Election Day, once counties reported updated results including provisional (affidavit) ballots. With 99% of votes counted, Colom had 473,336 votes (49.2%) to 468,667 (48.7%) for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a margin of 4,669 votes, according to the AP count reported by The Vicksburg Post. Independent Ty Pinkins had 20,234 (2.1%).
Why it matters
Democrats had already won Senate control, so Mississippi adds to the size of the new majority. Fox News puts the count at 55 Democrats to 44 Republicans, with Alaska's race between Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) and former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) still uncalled.
More context
Hyde-Smith conceded Wednesday evening in a video on X. "While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters," she said. "I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state." Decision Desk HQ projected the race for Colom shortly after the concession, The Hill reported.
Who won: Colom is a district attorney from north Mississippi. He will be the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Mississippi since 1982 and the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction, the AP and The Vicksburg Post reported. Hyde-Smith was appointed in 2018 after Sen. Thad Cochran retired, won a special election that year and a full term in 2020.
How the lead moved: Colom led by 43 votes after the last election-night update, at 3:03 a.m. ET on Nov. 4, the AP said. By late morning Nov. 4 the AP count showed a 65-vote gap. His lead then grew as counties finished counting and ruled on affidavit ballots from voters who had until Nov. 10 to show photo ID, reaching 4,669 by Wednesday evening.
The money and the map: President Trump endorsed and rallied for Hyde-Smith, and the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, made a seven-figure late ad buy for her, Fox News reported. Before the concession, lawyers for the Senate GOP's campaign arm had asked state election officials to preserve records and provisional ballots, and Colom's lawyers called the move "unlawful," The Hill reported. Mississippi has no automatic recount law.
What's still unknown: When counties and the state certify the final totals, whether the margin shifts once every affidavit ballot is resolved, and how Alaska's race ends.
6 listed sources
- Associated Press, Mississippi elects Democrat Scott Colom as state's first Black US senator since Reconstruction, Nov. 11, 2026
- Associated Press, Why AP called the Mississippi Senate race for Scott Colom, Nov. 11, 2026
- Fox News, Dems projected to score historic upset in deep-red Mississippi, topple Trump ally Hyde-Smith, Nov. 11, 2026
- The Hill, Democrat Scott Colom flips Mississippi Senate seat, ousting Cindy Hyde-Smith, Nov. 11, 2026
- The Vicksburg Post, Hyde-Smith concedes Senate race to Colom, Nov. 11, 2026
- Fox News, Mississippi 2026 midterm election results (AP data)
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Vote totals are the Associated Press's unofficial count with 99% of votes counted, as reported by The Vicksburg Post on Wednesday evening; percentages are computed by US Brief from those totals. Decision Desk HQ projected the race for Colom after the concession, The Hill reported. The 55-44 Senate figure is Fox News's count and includes the uncalled Alaska race as undecided. Results are not yet certified. Photos are file images, not from election night.
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