Mississippi Senate Race Sees Historic Moment with Scott Colom's Narrow Lead

A closely fought US Senate race in Mississippi has put local prosecutor Scott Colom at the centre of a possible political milestone. The Democratic candidate is locked in a tight contest with Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. If his narrow lead holds, Colom could become the first Black US senator from Mississippi since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. The result remains uncertain. Election officials continued counting absentee and provisional ballots across Mississippi’s 82 counties. Colom held a lead of around 2,000 votes, according to latest report, but thousands of ballots still required review. The race has drawn national attention because Mississippi has not elected a Black senator since the 19th century. It also gives Democrats an opportunity to win a Senate seat in a state that has long favoured Republicans in federal elections. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer personally encouraged Colom to enter the race, Reuters reported. The party saw his candidacy as an opportunity to compete in a state where Democrats have struggled to win statewide elections. Scott W Colom is a Mississippi lawyer and prosecutor who serves as district attorney for the state’s 16th Circuit Court District. He has held the post since 2015. His career also includes work as a municipal prosecutor, municipal court judge and justice court judge. According to his BallotReady candidate profile, Colom earned a bachelor’s degree in English and history from Millsaps College in 2005 and completed his law degree at the University of Wisconsin in 2009. Before entering the legal profession, he worked as a teacher with WorldTeach. Colom’s connection to Hyde-Smith goes back to 2023, when his attempt to become Mississippi’s first Black federal judge in more than a century faced an obstacle after the Republican senator blocked his nomination, Reuters reported. The episode became part of the political backdrop to his Senate challenge. In November 2024, Schumer invited Colom and his father to brunch as he tried to persuade him to run. “I said you’ve got to run,” Schumer told MS Now. Colom eventually agreed to challenge Hyde-Smith in 2026. His campaign focused on issues including the cost of living, healthcare and the economic effects of President Donald Trump’s policies. AP reported that he argued the war with Iran and US tariffs affected people across demographic groups. “Mississippi has always been overlooked or at the bottom of things nationally,” Colom told reporters on Friday, according to Reuters. If Colom wins, he would become the first Black senator from Mississippi since the Reconstruction era, which lasted from 1865 to 1877 and followed the American Civil War. Mississippi’s last two Black US senators were Hiram Rhodes Revels and Blanche K. Bruce. Revels became the first Black person to serve in the US Senate when he took office in 1870. Bruce, also a Republican, served from 1875 to 1881. No Black candidate has represented Mississippi in the Senate since Bruce left office. The significance extends beyond the Senate seat. Black residents account for nearly 40% of Mississippi’s population, according to AP, but white politicians have dominated the state’s highest levels of government and congressional delegation for much of the period since Reconstruction. AP reported that some Black voters viewed Colom’s candidacy as an opportunity for stronger political representation. That sentiment was visible during his November 6 campaign visit to Jackson’s Farish Street business district, an area with a long history of Black political and civil rights organizing. Colom visited Marshall’s Music and Bookstore, recognised as the oldest Black-owned bookstore in the United States. “It’s so wonderful! It’s so wonderful to have Scott Colom as our representative,” bookstore owner Maati Jone Primm told AP. Another supporter, 76-year-old attorney Sorie Tarawally, called Colom “the man, our messiah, our savior”, AP reported. Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks, who became her state’s first Black senator, also campaigned with Colom. She said voters in Mississippi had developed a belief problem after years of political defeats. “They now know that their vote matters,” she told AP. Colom’s campaign also drew on the legacy of civil rights leader Medgar Evers in its final advertisement, which was set at Evers’ Jackson home. Evers was assassinated in 1963 during the civil rights struggle in Mississippi. Colom told AP that the advertisement was intended to remind voters of the sacrifices made to secure voting rights. “It’s a powerful reminder of the sacrifice to gain the ballot, and nobody sacrificed more than Medgar Evers and his family,” he said. The outcome remains uncertain as officials review the remaining ballots. AP reported that absentee ballots could arrive until November 10 while voters with certain identification problems had until the same date to resolve them. Counties must certify their results by November 13. Mississippi does not provide for an automatic statewide recount. Campaigns may seek court orders to examine ballots, generally on a county-by-county basis, AP reported. Hyde-Smith has said her campaign will continue monitoring the remaining ballots. “We are not backing down. This election is not over,” she wrote on social media, according to AP. Colom, meanwhile, urged patience as local officials completed the count. “We’re going to make sure everything is followed according to the law, and I have confidence in those local officials,” he told AP. The result would have a different effect in Washington. Democrats have already secured control of the Senate, so a Colom victory would not determine which party controls the chamber. It would, however, give the party another seat and mark a significant change in Mississippi’s political history. Disclaimer: This article is based on the latest reports along with publicly available information about the 2026 US midterm elections. Election figures and counting updates reflect the information available at the time of writing. The race had not been officially called, and the outcome remained subject to the counting and certification of outstanding ballots.