Democrats Win Mississippi Senate Race, Cementing a Majority of At Least 55 Seats

Democrat Scott Colom will be the next U.S. senator from Mississippi, cementing a Democratic Senate majority of at least 55 seats. Mr. Colom, a district attorney from the eastern part of the state, never would have run for the Senate had the woman he defeated not blocked his nomination for a federal judgeship. Mr. Colom, who was elected as the prosecutor for the 16th Judicial District in 2015 at the age of 32, announced his candidacy last fall and received little national attention until the final weeks of the campaign. On Wednesday night, he was declared the winner over Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by a margin of just 0.5 percent. Mr. Colom will become the first elected black senator in Mississippi’s history, and the first black person to represent the state in the Senate since Reconstruction. He will be the fourth-youngest senator when he is sworn in on January 3. “I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Ms. Hyde-Smith said in a video posted to X on Wednesday night. “While my time in the United States Senate may be coming to an end, my love for Mississippi and my determination to stand up for what is right never will.”This year’s Senate race in the Magnolia State may have never been competitive if it were not for a now-fateful decision Ms. Hyde-Smith made more than three years ago. In 2022, President Biden nominated Mr. Colom for a lifetime position as a federal judge in the Northern District of Mississippi — a coveted position for any attorney. Under the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition, a nominee for a federal judgeship or a U.S. Attorney position will not receive a vote in the Senate unless both senators from the state where that individual would serve return what are known as “blue slips” to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mississippi’s other Republican lawmaker, Senator Roger Wicker, returned his blue slip for Mr. Colom. Ms. Hyde-Smith did not, saying she would not support Mr. Colom’s nomination. The nomination expired after President Trump was elected in 2024, paving the way for Mr. Colom to seek elected office — something he almost certainly would not have done had he been given a post on the federal bench. Mr. Colom’s campaign really caught on in mid-October when Mr. Colom’s campaign released an ad highlighting Ms. Hyde-Smith’s comments dismissing Mississippians’ concerns about rising beef prices. She had said that her constituents could simply look for a different protein to eat. Mr. Colom’s ad encouraged voters to “pick another senator,” rather than “pick another protein.”The Mississippi race became a big draw for several potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia traveled to the state to campaign with Mr. Colom. At the time, Reverend Warnock told reporters he came to the state “because I’m tired of the South being overlooked or diminished in terms of its electoral importance.”“We ignore the South at our own peril. Democrats are investing here. I would like to see more, for the sake of the country,” the reverend said. Vice President Kamala Harris also rallied with Mr. Colom in the final days of the campaign. After election day, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, sent out a fundraising plea to his own supporters to raise money for Mr. Colom, saying that the Mississippi Democrat may need it if a protracted legal fight became a reality. The lone Senate race to not be called as of Thursday morning is the U.S. Senate election in Alaska, where Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican, is hoping to win a third term. Mr. Sullivan is currently trailing the Democratic nominee, Mary Peltola, who used to represent Alaska in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democrats Win Mississippi Senate Race, Cementing a Majority of At Least 55 Seats

Democrats Win Mississippi Senate Race, Cementing a Majority of At Least 55 Seats

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