Democrat Scott Colom expands lead over Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi Senate contest
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Scott Colom's margin over incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith has grown to more than 3,000 votes as absentee and affidavit ballots continue to be counted in Mississippi.
Democrat Scott Colom has widened his advantage over incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate race, with the gap now exceeding 3,000 votes, according to the latest count in Hinds County.
County officials reported that 67 mail-in absentee ballots processed on Wednesday gave Colom 61 votes, while Hyde-Smith and independent candidate Pinkins each received three. In addition, 817 affidavit ballots are being counted, and the county has already tallied about 8,000 absentee ballots.
Circuit Clerk Zack Wallace said the county expects to certify its results by Thursday morning, and the statewide certification deadline is set for Friday.
"The reality is that she can’t point to a direction where she has a possibility to win. If she truly has the ability to win, explain how," Colom said, adding that he is confident the lead will become "insurmountable" once all affidavit ballots are counted.
Sen. Hyde-Smith, who returned to Washington for work on Tuesday, said her campaign was strong and expressed confidence while votes remain to be counted.
"I’m thinking that we worked very hard and had a very good campaign," Hyde-Smith said. "We are still counting votes. There are a few thousand out, and we feel confident."