Scott Colom Leads Mississippi Senate by 1,138 Votes as Republicans Trade Blame for 2026 Losses
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Nov 5
Scott Colom Leads Mississippi Senate by 1,138 Votes as Republicans Trade Blame for 2026 Losses
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 5
Summary
Nearly 24 hours after Democrats swept Congress, Scott Colom still led Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes with almost 96% counted, keeping alive a potential Democratic upset in a deep-red state.
Mississippi has no automatic recount law, even in a race this close, and vote updates had stalled for several hours despite Colom recently outpacing Hyde-Smith in new batches.
Democrats have not won a Mississippi Senate seat since 1982, and Colom would become the state's first Black US senator since 1875 if the lead holds.
Republicans, reeling from the broader midterm defeat, split over the cause: Donald Trump said his absence from the ballot hurt the party, while JD Vance blamed Trump's Iran war and Ron DeSantis cited poor ad targeting.
AP exit polls pointed to cost of living and government corruption as voters' top issues, underscoring the wider pressures behind the GOP's losses beyond Mississippi.
How might Mississippi's unique ballot grace period and lack of automatic recounts rewrite electoral history this November?
Mississippi’s 2026 Senate Election: Historic Deadlock, No-Recount Law, and the Battle Over Every Vote
Overview
Mississippi’s 2026 U.S. Senate race remains uncalled, with Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith separated by just over a thousand votes. The outcome depends on thousands of uncounted affidavit and mail-in ballots, many cast after a controversial voter purge flagged thousands as inactive. Mississippi law provides no recount process, so campaigns must rely on legal challenges and court intervention. Colom’s campaign gained momentum from viral ads and historic Black voter mobilization, while national Democrats invested heavily as polling tightened. The race’s razor-thin margin and lack of recount rules have drawn national attention, making Mississippi a key battleground in a year of major Democratic gains.