Mississippi Senate race remains tight as independent candidate denies being a spoiler
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Independent candidate Ty Pinkins says his votes likely came from Republican areas and may have helped Democrat Scott Colom, even as the race stays within a few hundred votes and unresolved ballots remain.
Independent candidate Ty Pinkins, who received about 20,000 votes in the Mississippi Senate contest, told CNN he does not consider himself a spoiler and believes his support may have aided Democrat Scott Colom. With roughly 1,700 votes separating Colom and incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Pinkins said most of his voters came from traditionally Republican counties and that “you can’t assume that all of those votes would have went right back to Scott Colom.”
Pinkins added, “I’m happy that we drew votes from Cindy Hyde-Smith,” and said the numbers indicate his campaign worked against the usual spoiler narrative. As of Thursday, 96% of expected votes were reported, showing Colom slightly ahead with 49.0% (466,226) to Hyde-Smith’s 48.9% (464,502).
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson reported about 3,600 outstanding mail ballots and an unspecified number of affidavit ballots that could be processed within the next ten days. The state does not have a formal recount process; candidates cannot request a recount, though they may request a ballot-box examination and file a legal challenge if issues are found.