Mississippi Senate Race Stays Razor-Thin as Ballots Keep Coming In
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Democrat Scott Colom holds a slim lead over incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race, with thousands of ballots still to be counted and the possibility of a historic upset still alive.
In Mississippi, the Senate race remains unresolved as Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by roughly 2,500 votes, a margin of less than 1%. If Colom wins, he would become the state's first black senator in more than 140 years and add to the Democratic Senate majority.
State law requires results to be certified by Friday, but thousands of postal and affidavit ballots are still outstanding. Officials estimate that between 12,000 and 20,000 affidavit ballots were cast, with around 15,500 processed as of Tuesday morning, leaving open the possibility that the outcome could still shift.
Colom's lead underscores the challenge to Mississippi's long Republican dominance, with the party having controlled the state since 1982. The contest has attracted close attention, and both parties have assembled legal teams in anticipation of possible disputes over the result.
Students at Jackson State University voiced hope for a Colom victory, with first-time voters like Jamyria Dunn stressing the need for change in the state. Dunn said, "I really feel like a change is what we need," while her friend Journey Moore said she was excited by the historic meaning of a Colom win.
In contrast, in Brookhaven, where Hyde-Smith was born, local residents showed strong party loyalty, with many blaming rising living costs on broader economic pressures rather than directly on Trump or Hyde-Smith. Travis Powe, a logger, said, "It always seems, no matter who's in office, there's a spike in gas prices."
The unexpectedly close race reflects a broader national wave of voter dissatisfaction with the Republican Party, fueled by economic concerns tied to Trump's policies. Colom has tapped into that anger, dubbing Hyde-Smith "Cindy High Prices" because of her support for Trump's tariffs. Early exit polls suggest that black voters, who have historically leaned Democratic, have shown increased support for Colom in this election cycle.