Summary
- Democrat Scott Colom won Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race Wednesday, becoming the state’s first Democrat elected to the chamber since 1982.
- Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 4,669 votes, a margin of 0.5 percentage points, when The Associated Press called the race.
- Colom will be Mississippi’s first Black senator elected by popular vote as Democrats await the result of Alaska’s Senate race.
Scott Colom became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in deep-red Mississippi since 1982.
His victory prompted congratulations from the state’s GOP governor late Wednesday night. “Congratulations to Senator-Elect @scott_colom. I hope to collaborate as we continue our very important work to support Mississippi families, grow jobs and wages for our people, and improve educational outcomes for our kids!” Gov. Tate Reeves wrote in an X post.
Colom replied: “Thank you for the congratulations @tatereeves. I also look forward to working with you on the issues that matter to our state. Together, there’s nothing our beautiful state can’t accomplish.”
The Democrat led incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 4,669 votes, or 0.5 percentage points, when The Associated Press called the race late Wednesday. Democrats flipped their eighth Senate seat after recapturing majorities in both the House and Senate.
Voters are still awaiting the results in the Alaska Senate race, where Democrat Mary Peltola leads incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Hyde-Smith, first elected in 2018, conceded the race Wednesday after her campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee initially raised questions about affidavit ballots, the state’s version of provisional ballots.
Affidavit ballots are cast by voters whose eligibility or qualifications cannot be fully resolved at the polling place, including voters who lack photo identification. Officials can reject the ballots if voters do not provide an acceptable form of identification within five business days.
The state also counts mail ballots postmarked by Election Day arriving within five business days afterward. However, as more votes came in this week, Colom’s lead widened.
Colom will be the third Black man to serve as a U.S. senator from Mississippi and the first elected by popular vote. The previous two senators were selected by the state Legislature before the direct election of senators.
Sen. John Stennis, the last Democrat elected to the Senate from the state, served from 1947 to 1989.
Colom comes to the Senate with a prosecutor’s background as the district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
