Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Seat, Making History as State's First Black Senator Since 1874

Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde‑Smith to become Mississippi’s first Black senator since the Reconstruction era.

The victory comes in a state where Donald Trump won by nearly 23 points in 2024. Colom, a 43‑year‑old district attorney, is the first Democrat to win a Mississippi Senate seat since John Stennis in 1982.

The victory gives Democrats a 55‑44 advantage in the 100‑member Senate, though the outcome of one race in Alaska remains undetermined.

“For me, this journey started with a prayer, y’all,” Senator‑elect Scott Colom said during a victory speech at Tougaloo College.

Democrat Scott Colom projected to win Mississippi Senate seat — NBC News

A campaign built on economic frustration

Colom’s path to Washington was fueled by a grassroots strategy that targeted the rising cost of living. LBC said that he utilized a breakout campaign ad to criticize Hyde‑Smith’s suggestion that consumers could simply “pick another protein” to avoid high beef prices, with the ad countering, “I’d rather pick another senator instead.”

The campaign also drew strength from local issues and high‑profile support. Colom told Reuters in an October interview that Mississippi voters felt betrayed by Trump policies, specifically citing the war in Iran as a driver of high fuel prices. His momentum was further bolstered by October rallies alongside Democratic Senators Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Cory Booker of New Jersey, according to LBC.

Dem Scott Colom flips Mississippi Senate seat, CNN projects — CNN

While the incumbent Hyde‑Smith, 67, had consistently led in opinion polls, Colom maintained a presence through town halls and visits to public housing and festivals. Election officials spent more than a week counting ballots in a race that was exceptionally tight, with Colom at times leading by only a few dozen votes. The Mississippi Senate race was one of the final races called after the elections.

The weight of Mississippi history

The victory occurs just miles from where civil rights activist Medgar Evers was murdered by a member of the Ku Klux Klan in 1963. Colom’s win makes him the first Black senator from the state since the post‑Civil War period, when Blanche Bruce served in 1874. This victory is historic for African Americans in a former slave state that served as a hotbed of repression during the 1960s civil rights movement.

Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Seat, Making History as State's First Black Senator Since 1874 — Photo: lbc.co.uk

During his address at the historically Black Tougaloo College, Colom invoked the names of those who fought for progress in the state. He spoke of the faith required to continue when donors would not answer the phone or when town halls in Jackson saw fewer than 10 attendees.

He said that the first African American to serve as a United States senator came from Mississippi, Hiram Revels, who was a minister in Natchez. Colom said Revels was suggested to give an opening prayer at a convention and delivered a speech so powerful that people decided he had a voice to be a United States senator.

“I can’t help but think about Medgar Evers on Veterans Day, a moment like this, where he served his country and came home to Mississippi, when they wouldn’t let him vote. But he had faith that Mississippi could make progress. He had faith that one day everybody would have the right to vote. He had faith that a day like this was possible.”

Colom also credited the tradition of faith established by figures like Fannie Lou Hamer, who had the faith that her struggle could move a nation to acknowledge the importance of places like Mississippi.

Democrat Scott Colom wins Senate seat in Mississippi — NewsNation

Shifting power in Washington

The race was particularly personal for Colom, who in 2023 saw his nomination to a federal judgeship by former President Joe Biden blocked by Hyde‑Smith, citing his position on transgender issues. Mississippi’s other senator, Republican Roger Wicker, had supported the nomination.

The latest media‑tabulated results showed Colom ahead by 0.5 percentage point, or approximately 4,600 votes, LBC reported.