Democrat Scott Colom defeated incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith to become the first Black senator elected in Mississippi since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era.
The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday, more than a week after Election Day. The result marks the first time Mississippi sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1982. John C. Stennis won his sixth full and final term then. Colom flipped a seat in a deep-red state.
James Talarico won in Texas. Adam Hamilton won in Kansas. Annie Andrews won in South Carolina. Colom campaigned over the summer and autumn with Cory Booker of New Jersey, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland. Blanche K. Bruce was born into slavery. He was the last Black man elected to the Senate from Mississippi. Colom is the first Black senator elected directly by voters.
I've always said this campaign belongs to the people of Mississippi, and I'm incredibly proud of everyone who made their voice heard. I'll work every day in the U. S. Senate to build a future that generations of Mississippians can be just as proud to call home. pic.twitter.com/EwThQhQF0b
Colom secured 473,336 votes. Hyde-Smith received 468,667 votes. The difference was fewer than 5,000 votes. He finished with 49.2 percent of the vote. The Republican incumbent took 48.7 percent.
Election officials processed absentee and provisional ballots in the days following the election. Colom’s lead widened. He said the incumbent lacked a viable path to victory.
Voters expressed widespread frustration directed at Donald Trump’s administration. Republicans lost seats in regions where Democrats had not been competitive for generations.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer invited Scott Colom and his father to his home four years ago to encourage him to run for office. Schumer said the Coloms were initially cautious. “They were smarter than me,” Schumer said. “This was four years ago.” “They said, ‘We don’t want to run this time, but we know that Hyde-Smith, the incumbent, is so weak, we could beat her.’”
Colom is 43 years old. He works as a district attorney and is the son of a Republican lawyer. He unseated a nearly 30-year incumbent in 2015. He became the first Black district attorney for the 16th circuit. He maintained a 94 per cent success rate for convictions.
The campaign focused on the cost of living. Hyde-Smith suggested that voters “opt for another protein” to manage grocery bills. Colom turned the remark into a rallying cry. He told supporters it was better to “opt for another senator.”
Colom engaged directly with Trump’s base. He attended a rally for Hyde-Smith in Corinth a week before the vote. He listened to the economic concerns of supporters. Colom defended trans rights. He was a signatory on a letter rejecting “efforts to criminalize trans people and gender-affirming medical care in the country.”
Earlier coverage: Democrat Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Race