Democrat Scott Colom has won the US Senate race in Mississippi, defeating Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Associated Press called the race for Colom on Wednesday, November 11, after local election officials spent several days counting absentee and provisional ballots. The margin was narrow. Hyde-Smith conceded later that day: her campaign said she phoned Colom on Wednesday afternoon, and in a video posted on social media she said she respects the decision of Mississippi voters.
A historic result
Colom, 43, will be Mississippi’s first Black US senator since the Reconstruction era. He is also the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the deeply Republican state since 1947.
Hyde-Smith, 67, was seeking a second full term. She was first appointed to the Senate in 2018.
Who is Scott Colom?
Colom is a local prosecutor whose father was a Republican who worked for President Ronald Reagan. In 2022, President Joe Biden nominated him to be a federal district judge, but Hyde-Smith blocked his confirmation using the Senate custom that lets home-state senators hold up nominees.
How he won
Colom built his campaign around the economy and the cost of living, including high beef prices. He criticised President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which he said were hurting Mississippi farmers, and the war with Iran, while avoiding personal attacks on the president.
He was helped by strong Black voter turnout and discontent among some Republican voters, and received support from national Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.
Victory remarks
Speaking after his win, Colom said Mississippians deserve a senator who listens to them and understands their struggles. He added that Democrats must speak to rural, suburban and urban voters alike and deliver real results.
The result adds to a wider midterm setback for Trump and strengthens the argument among Democrats that the party can compete in the South.
Sources: Associated Press via PBS NewsHour, NBC News, CBS News, Axios.
