Democrat Scott Colm Wins Mississippi Senate Seat, First Black Senator Since Reconstruction
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Democrat Scott Colm defeated incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, becoming the state's first Black senator since the Reconstruction era.
Democrat Scott Colm defeated incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, securing the seat after a week of ballot counting following the Nov. 3 election. The win marks the first time a Black person has been elected to the U.S. Senate from Mississippi since the Reconstruction period, when the last Black senator left office in 1881.
Colm addressed supporters outside the historic chapel at Tougaloo College, a historically Black institution that played a role in the civil-rights movement. He said, "God didn’t want us to get it the easy way. He wanted us to get it the Mississippi way."
Hyde-Smith posted a concession video on social media, stating, "While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters," and added that her campaign worked to ensure every legally cast vote was counted and that the election was fair and transparent.