Live 2026 election results updates: Size of Democratic majorities hinges on close races

In an election in which Democrats broke through conservative strongholds to gain majorities in the House and Senate, Mississippi and Alaska are the only remaining states where Senate elections do not yet have a clear winner.

The fact that there is suspense in Mississippi, which hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate in more than four decades, has stunned Democrats and Republicans alike.

“I’m happy that the country is starting to see what Mississippi values ​​look like and what Mississippi’s potential is,” Mr. Colom said, while speaking to reporters in Jackson.

On social media, Ms. Hyde-Smith’s campaign said she would remain in the Senate, given that “we believe thousands of votes remain to be counted in dozens of Republican counties, and we are confident these votes will strengthen her path to victory.”

The outcome of the race appears to hinge on what the state said was an unknown number of sworn ballots cast by voters listed as inactive or without proper identification. On Thursday, Michael Watson, the secretary of state, said about 3,300 mail-in ballots were also still pending. To be considered, they must be received within five business days of November 3.

He did not provide a number for uncounted affidavit ballots, but said 6,936 affidavit ballots had been processed. The deadline for counties to certify their election results to the state is November 13.

Unlike most states, Mississippi law does not allow vote recounts in statewide elections.

In Jackson, the state capital, on Thursday, lawyers, journalists, poll watchers and, at one point, Mr. Colom’s wife, crowded tables in the cramped headquarters of the Hinds County Election Commission. The members of the commission had been voting since 7 a.m., working tirelessly, but without worrying about the intense national scrutiny.

“I hope they put some pep in their step,” said June Hardwick, a lawyer who supported the Colom campaign.

Jermal Clark, one of the commissioners, said they had to make sure they were thorough and followed the law. “For me, everything is fine,” he said. “It’s just crowded.”

The Republicans were taking no risks.

Republican lawyers wrote to election commissioners on Thursday demanding the “immediate segregation, secure custody and preservation of all sworn ballots.” Mr. Colom’s legal team responded with its own letter, calling it a request for “unlawful and extraordinary measures” and warning that it risked leading to illegal voter identification.

Mike Hurst, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party and general counsel for the Republican National Committee, said lawyers aligned with national Republicans and Ms. Hyde-Smith’s campaign “will be prepared, if necessary, to use every legal option available to us, if there is evidence that the law has been violated.”

“We’ve never seen this before in Mississippi — we’ve never seen this many affidavit ballots in this state,” Mr. Hurst said. He added: “This race is far from over. »

Some organizers in Mississippi said it’s possible that some of that increase in affidavit votes dates back to last July, when the secretary of state’s office announced it would use data from Experian, the credit reporting agency, to help maintain the state’s voter rolls.

As part of this change, registered voters identified as having a new address were labeled “inactive” until they returned a confirmation card with their new address. Anyone who showed up to vote this year and was marked “inactive” had to fill out an affidavit voting form.

Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, said her organization is helping organize trips for students to go to courthouses and make sure their ballots are counted and will run ads to remind voters to act on their affidavit and mail-in ballots.

“Is it a little scary? Yes,” Ms. Welchlin said. “Because we want to make sure every vote is counted.”

Mr. Colom, a prosecutor with deep roots in the state, ran a hard-fought campaign, energizing the state’s black voters and persuading disenchanted white Democrats and conservatives to embrace his “Mississippi Matters” message.

Ms. Hyde-Smith saw more than $1 million pour in during the latter part of the campaign from national groups. President Trump also held a rally in Corinth for Ms. Hyde-Smith and urged Republicans to vote.

Mr Colom used Ms Hyde-Smith’s words against her, running a campaign ad on her suggestion that voters could choose alternative proteins as meat prices soared. The slogan “Choose another protein? Choose another senator” became his campaign’s rallying cry in the final days before the election.

Jimmie E. Gates contributed reporting from Jackson, Miss.