Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, becoming the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction. The Associated Press called the race at 5:58 p.m. Eastern after days of counting absentee and provisional ballots, and Hyde-Smith conceded in a video message that evening.
Colom, a 43-year-old Mississippi district attorney, delivered his victory speech at Tougaloo College in Jackson on Wednesday night. His win was the eighth Senate seat Democrats flipped in the 2026 midterms, capping a Democrats’ midterm sweep of Congress.
A 4,669-vote margin after nine days of counting
The race was the closest Senate contest in the country. Colom led by just 43 votes after the final election-night update, which arrived from Pike County at 3:03 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, 4 November.
He then won all 12 county vote updates released on Wednesday, including a Jackson County update of 2,173 votes that put him ahead by 4,669 votes out of 962,237 counted — a margin of about half a percentage point. The Associated Press estimates fewer than 12,000 ballots remain for county officials to review before Friday’s deadline for counties to certify their results.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Colom | Democratic | 473,336 | 49.19% |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith | Republican | 468,667 | 48.71% |
| Margin | — | 4,669 | 0.5 points |
Totals counted stood at 962,237, with the remainder going to other candidates. The figures are reported totals, not yet certified, and counties must submit certified results by Friday, 13 November.
The first Black senator from Mississippi since 1881
Colom will be the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since Blanche K. Bruce left office in 1881. Bruce, who served from 1875 to 1881, was the first Black American to serve a full term in the Senate.
Colom is also the first Democrat Mississippi has elected to the Senate since 1982, in a state Donald Trump carried comfortably in 2024. Hyde-Smith, who was endorsed by Trump, had served in the Senate since 2018 and was seeking a second full term.
A blue-slip grudge from 2023
The two have history. In April 2023, Hyde-Smith blocked Colom’s nomination to become a federal judge by withholding a document known as a blue slip, the Senate tradition that lets home-state senators stall judicial picks.
The nomination stalled, and Colom never reached the bench. Three years later, he defeated the senator who stopped his path to the federal judiciary — a reversal that made the race one of the most closely watched of the midterm cycle.
What Hyde-Smith said, and what happens next
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith, 67, said in a two-minute concession video posted online. A spokesman said she called Colom to congratulate him before the video was shared.
Mississippi has no recount law, so Hyde-Smith would need to persuade a court to order a review of the election. She conceded instead, and Colom is expected to be sworn in when the new Congress convenes in January.
His victory gives Democrats a net gain of eight Senate seats, with one race in Alaska still outstanding. The result also underlines how uneven the midterm verdict was: on the same ballot that swept Democrats into control of Congress, voters rejected ambitious progressive measures such as California’s rejected billionaire tax.
Scott Colom Mississippi Senate race FAQs
Who is Scott Colom?
Colom is a 43-year-old district attorney in Mississippi. He was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2026 and had previously been nominated for a federal judgeship.
How close was the Mississippi Senate race?
Colom defeated Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 4,669 votes out of 962,237 counted, a margin of about 0.5 percentage points. He led by only 43 votes after election night.
Who was the last Black senator from Mississippi?
Blanche K. Bruce, who served from 1875 until he left office in 1881. Colom is the state’s first Black senator since then.
When will Scott Colom take office?
He is expected to be sworn in when the new Congress convenes in January 2027.
Has Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded?
Yes. She conceded in a video message on Wednesday evening, 11 November, after the Associated Press called the race, and she called Colom to congratulate him.
