Senate GOP seeks to preserve Mississippi affidavit ballots in tight race

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is demanding Mississippi election officials preserve affidavit ballots and related documents, a preliminary step toward potential legal action in the too-close-to-call Senate race. Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by just under 2,000 votes as of Thursday evening. The NRSC sent letters to election commissioners in all 82 counties, requesting that affidavit ballots be separated, documented, and preserved to verify their eligibility. Mississippi can receive mail ballots up to five days post-election if postmarked by Election Day, with about 3,600 outstanding ballots that could swing the race. County-level counting gives officials until November 13 to certify results, and Mississippi has no automatic recount provision. Colom's campaign dismissed the letter as a "desperate stunt," while a Democratic win would be historic, as no Democrat has won a Mississippi Senate seat since 1982.