Scott Colom flips Mississippi Senate seat in historic Democratic victory

Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in a closely contested Mississippi Senate race, according to the Associated Press.

Colom, a 43-year-old local prosecutor, makes history as Mississippi’s first Black US senator since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. He is also the first Democrat elected to represent the state in the Senate since 1982.

The result signals a major political shift in traditionally conservative Mississippi, where voter frustration with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party appears to have reached even their strongest electoral strongholds. Democrats also picked up seven additional Senate seats, taking control of the chamber and regaining a majority in the House of Representatives.

With 99% of ballots counted, Colom secured 49.2% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Hyde-Smith's 48.7%. The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday.

Hyde-Smith conceded the race in a post on X.

The win comes as Democrats make significant gains in Senate and House races nationwide.