Washington, Nov 12:
Democrat Scott Colom has won a historic victory in Mississippi’s closely contested US Senate race, defeating incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith to become the state’s first Black US senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era in 1874.
Following a prolonged multi-day count of absentee and affidavit ballots, the 43-year-old local prosecutor secured a narrow upset in a deeply conservative Southern state that has not elected a new Democratic senator since 1947. Hyde-Smith, 67, conceded the race in a video statement after calling Colom to congratulate him, stating that she respected the verdict of Mississippi voters.
Colom’s campaign focused on economic grievances, tariff pressures on local farmers, and healthcare access, combining strong turnout across majority-Black counties in the Mississippi Delta with targeted outreach to rural and suburban voters. Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former President Bill Clinton, hailed the win as a major breakthrough in the American South during a broader midterm wave for the party.