Washington- THE Senate midterm race in deep-red Mississippi remains up in the air, with Democrat Scott Colom mounting a surprisingly competitive challenge to incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
With about 96% of the vote, at one point Wednesday morning only a few dozen votes separated the candidates, a surprisingly close result in the Magnolia State. At last report, Colom was ahead of Hyde-Smith by just over 1,100 votes.
Hyde-Smith, 67, has been a member of the Senate since 2018 and is seeking re-election. But Colom, a district attorney, has mounted a formidable challenge and could deliver another victory for Democrats.
Democrats scored numerous victories in the Senate elections Tuesday night, including states that President Trump won by two digits in the 2024 elections. With more than four reversals of the seats held by the GOP, the Democrats gained enough seats to take control of the room in the new year. If Colom manages to achieve a victory, he will strengthen their majority.
Colom, 43, is a seventh-generation Mississippian who campaigned on issues of cost of living and health care. Democrats have begun investing in the race in recent weeks, seeing it as an opportunity for recovery. But the possible outcome still seemed extremely unlikely as Election Day approached.
Mr. Trump won Mississippi by 20 points in 2024, and the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.
Addressing supporters in the early hours of Wednesday, Colom said: “The results are all going our way.”
“We play in countries where people thought we had no chance of competing,” Colom said. “And we win them.”
The unresolved race in Mississippi comes as the Senate race in Alaska is also outstanding, leaving the size of the Democratic majority up in the air.
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