Scott Colom Holds Slim Lead in Mississippi Senate Race as Republicans Warn of Costly Midterm Damage
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With about 96% of ballots counted, Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes in Mississippi, as Republican leaders point to President Trump’s absence from the ballot and the war in Iran as major factors behind the party’s disappointing midterm results.
Democrat Scott Colom is ahead of Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate contest by 1,138 votes, according to the Associated Press, with almost 96% of the vote tallied. The race, one of the last unsettled Senate contests after Democrats secured a historic sweep of Congress, remains uncalled as the remaining ballots are counted.
Colom, a seventh-generation Mississippian and former district attorney who achieved a 94% conviction rate, has narrowed the gap after earlier leads of just 28 votes. Mississippi has no statutory trigger for an automatic recount, even in races as close as this.
Republican leaders have begun attributing the party’s broader midterm setbacks to President Donald Trump’s decision not to appear on the ballot, with Trump himself saying the party performed poorly because of his absence. Senator JD Vance blamed the ongoing war in Iran for the losses, calling it “the obvious” cause. Governor Ron DeSantis added that the party’s failure to target advertising on motivating issues contributed to what he described as an “extinction-level event” for Republicans.
Exit polls cited by the Associated Press indicated that voters prioritized the cost of living and government corruption, concerns that Republicans say should have been confronted more aggressively. The outcome in Mississippi could mark the first Democratic Senate win in the state since 1982 and the first election of a Black senator since 1875.
"Republicans fared poorly because I wasn’t on the ballot," President Trump said. "The war in Iran is the obvious culprit for the loss," JD Vance said. "It’s close to an extinction-level event for Republicans," Governor DeSantis said.