Democrat Takes Surprising Lead in Mississippi Senate Race

Democrat Scott Colom has opened a surprising 1,138-vote lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race, a sharp increase from his 43-vote advantage a day earlier in a state Trump won by 20 points in 2024. The race remains uncalled, with about 96 percent of votes counted as of Thursday. Colom expressed confidence in victory, while Mississippi accepts ballots postmarked by Election Day up to five business days later and lacks a clear statewide recount process. If Colom wins, he would be Mississippi’s first Democratic senator since 1982 and first Black senator since the Civil War era. The race follows Democrats flipping several Republican strongholds in Tuesday’s midterms, with Republicans blaming Trump’s Iran war for losses.