Democrats have already secured control of the U.S. Senate in the 2026 midterms, but the size of their majority in the new year still hangs in the balance — and in deep-red Mississippi, that balance may come down to a few dozen ballots. With 96% of the vote counted Wednesday morning, Democrat Scott Colom and incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith were separated by just a handful of votes, a stunningly close result in a state President Trump carried by 20 points just two years ago.
The unresolved contest means the Magnolia State could hand Democrats an extra seat in a chamber they have already flipped, adding cushion to a majority that was secured Tuesday night with more than four pickups of GOP-held seats. If Colom prevails, he would become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi since 1982.
A Razor-Thin Margin in a Deep-Red State
Hyde-Smith, 67, has held the seat since 2018 and was seeking reelection against Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney and seventh-generation Mississippian. Colom campaigned on cost-of-living and health care issues, and Democrats began pouring resources into the race in recent weeks after spotting an opening — though the outcome still appeared exceedingly unlikely heading into Election Day.
That assessment has been upended. Speaking to supporters in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Colom said, “The results are all trending in our direction.” He added: “We are trending in counties that people thought we had no chance to compete in. And we’re winning them.”
The historical weight of the moment is hard to overstate. Mississippi has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, and Trump won the state by 20 points in the 2024 presidential election. A Colom victory would break a four-decade drought.
Why Democrats Saw an Opening
The party’s late investment in the race reflected a broader wave: Democrats scored Senate victories Tuesday night even in states Trump won by double digits in 2024. Colom’s profile fit that mold — a district attorney who campaigned on cost-of-living and health care issues.
Still, the arithmetic of Mississippi politics has not changed overnight. A 20-point presidential margin and a 44-year absence of Democratic senators do not evaporate in a single cycle.
The Count Continues, and Alaska Is Also Unresolved
Mississippi is not the only Senate race still uncalled. Alaska’s contest is also outstanding, leaving the exact dimensions of the Democrats’ majority unknown.
What happens next depends on the remaining 4% of the vote. Whether Colom’s trend in late-reporting counties holds will decide if Mississippi sends a Democrat to Washington for the first time in more than four decades — or if the Republican streak endures by the narrowest of margins.
🇺🇸 28 VOTES. That’s all that separates Democrat Scott Colom from Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, with 97% counted and more than 900,000 ballots in. A state Trump won by 23 points, rated Solid Republican until 2 weeks ago, is now a coin flip. To understand how… pic.twitter.com/f8qn0HQ1ec
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