JACKSON — Democrat Scott Colom has won Mississippi's U.S. Senate race, unseating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. The Associated Press declared Colom the winner on Wednesday following a prolonged count of absentee and provisional ballots. TonyBet runs a regulated site in Ontario through iGaming Ontario and also serves other provinces via its international platform. Check which version applies to your province on the site. The current welcome offer is shown at the top of this page. His victory makes him the first Black person elected by popular vote to represent Mississippi in the Senate since the Reconstruction era. Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, also becomes the first Democrat to win a Senate election in the state since 1982.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Colom led Hyde-Smith 49.2 percent to 48.7 percent, a margin of about 4,500 votes. A campaign source said Hyde-Smith called Colom to concede on Wednesday evening. In a video posted on social media, Hyde-Smith said she respected the voters' decision and congratulated Colom. The senator-elect said he looks forward to working with Republican Gov. Tate Reeves on state issues.
The outcome followed more than a week of ballot processing, as local officials worked through thousands of affidavit ballots, which are cast when a voter's eligibility is in question. The narrow margin meant these ballots could have decided the race. Mississippi law does not provide for an automatic recount, though candidates can challenge results in court. Colom's campaign gained momentum in its final weeks by focusing on economic discontent and his opponent's missteps. He tied Hyde-Smith to rising consumer prices, an issue that resonated in a state where President Donald Trump won by 23 points just two years prior. Colom attracted national attention with a viral ad mocking Hyde-Smith's suggestion that consumers upset over beef prices should "pick another protein." In the ad, voters replied they would "pick another senator instead."
"They actually deserve a senator that will listen to them, that actually cares about what they think, actually cares about what they're going through," Colom said late in the campaign. He mobilized strong Black turnout and won over some Republican voters, flipping several counties including the reliably red DeSoto County by seven percentage points. Democratic leaders framed the win as a rebuke of the Republican agenda under Trump, who held a rally for Hyde-Smith in late October. National Democratic groups invested heavily in the race late, outspending Republicans on advertising by about $7.5 million to $4.9 million. Colom received endorsements and campaign help from former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who helped fundraise, called Colom's win a reimagining of what is possible for Democrats in the South.
Colom's path to the Senate included a previous nomination by President Joe Biden to a federal judgeship in 2022. Hyde-Smith blocked that nomination using a senatorial courtesy. Colom launched his Senate bid against the senator who had derailed his judicial prospects, though he said his campaign was not about retaliation. His final campaign ad featured the home of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, linking his candidacy to the state's civil rights history.
For many Black political pioneers in Mississippi, the victory represents decades of work. Mike Espy, the first Black U.S. House member from Mississippi since Reconstruction, advised Colom and shared his campaign lists. "There is a time and place for everything," Espy said. "This is Scott Colom's time, and his place is in the U.S. Senate." Colom will be the 55th Democratic senator, shifting the balance of power further toward Democrats for the remainder of Trump's term.