Black candidate defeats incumbent Republican senator in close race in state Donald Trump won by more than 20 percentage points

First Democrat elected to Mississippi Senate in 44 years; first Black statewide elected official since Reconstruction

Democrats also leading in Alaska count; party would hold 56 seats with a win there

Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom speaks at a press conference at the Hinds County Sheriff's Office in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday (local time). [AP]
Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom speaks at a press conference at the Hinds County Sheriff's Office in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday (local time). [AP]

Democrats have won the Senate race in Mississippi, one of the most reliably Republican states in the country, bringing the party's total to 55 of the Senate's 100 seats. If Democrats also prevail in Alaska, where vote-counting is still ongoing, that total would rise to 56.

US media outlets including CNN and NBC called the Mississippi Senate race Wednesday (local time) for Democratic candidate Scott Colom, who defeated Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.

With 99 percent of votes counted, Colom had 49.2 percent to Hyde-Smith's 48.7 percent.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrated the result. "A blue Mississippi has arrived. Colom was the only person who could have done this," Schumer said.

Mississippi is considered one of the most deeply Republican states in the nation — often called "Deep Red" — and had not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1982. Donald Trump carried the state by more than 20 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

Colom is the first Black candidate to win a statewide election in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era that followed the Civil War, CNN reported.

Hyde-Smith drew a backlash after responding to a question about rising beef prices by saying there were "many proteins to choose from." The Colom campaign seized on the remark, mockingly renaming her "High Prices" — a play on her surname — as part of its attack.

Trump made a campaign stop in Mississippi to boost Hyde-Smith, an unusual move for a state he would normally take for granted, but the effort was not enough to overcome voter frustration over high prices.

With Mississippi called, Alaska is the only Senate race still undecided.

Congressional news outlet The Hill reported that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola had secured more votes in Alaska than the combined totals of Republican candidates Dan S. Sullivan and Dan J. Sullivan — two candidates who share the same first name. If that trend holds and Peltola wins, Democrats would control 56 Senate seats, giving the party more room to absorb defections on certain votes.

The midterm elections have seen a wave of Republican strongholds flip to Democrats, prompting talk of a "blue tsunami." In the House, Democrats currently hold 257 seats to Republicans' 169.


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