Mississippi Senate race stays razor-thin as mail-in ballots may expose the limits of Republican hold
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith holds a slim edge over Democrat Scott Colom, but pending absentee and provisional ballots could still flip the race, with the Supreme Court having upheld Mississippi’s mail-in ballot law despite GOP attacks.
Mississippi's U.S. Senate contest remains painfully close, with incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith clinging to a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Scott Colom, a district attorney. The final outcome could still turn on thousands of absentee and provisional ballots that are being counted under a system Republicans have tried to cast as suspect.
Political science professor Brian Anderson of the Mississippi University for Women said he did not expect the race to be this close and noted that a Colom victory would make him the first Black senator from the state since Reconstruction. Anderson added that a Democratic win could energize the party in Mississippi and potentially shake up a deeply entrenched political order.
Hyde-Smith's campaign posted on X that the remaining votes from Republican-leaning counties are expected to reinforce her path to victory and that the count of outstanding ballots will continue under normal procedures. The Republican National Committee also sent a fundraising text citing the close race and the need for resources to monitor ballot reviews, underscoring how aggressively Republicans are trying to police the count.
The legal backdrop includes a June Supreme Court decision, written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, that upheld a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within five business days. A Republican National Committee lawyer argued that late-arriving ballots tend to favor Democratic candidates. President Donald Trump called the ruling a "tremendous loss" for voters' rights at the time, reflecting the GOP's hostility to expanded ballot access.
Hyde-Smith, appointed to the Senate in 2018 and elected to a full term in 2020, previously blocked Colom's 2023 nomination to a federal judgeship, citing policy disagreements and alleged campaign contributions. Colom responded that he was unaware of any donation from billionaire George Soros and urged reconsideration of the block.
Analysts note that Hyde-Smith's campaign has been low-visibility compared with Colom's, and that she has declined multiple debate invitations. Colom's campaign has highlighted perceived gaffes by Hyde-Smith, including a remark about rising beef prices that was used in a campaign ad.
The race is expected to be decided in the coming days as election officials complete the verification of an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 provisional ballots.