Democratic candidate Scott Colom holds a 43-vote lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race, with 96% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday morning. The contest remains unresolved and is expected to proceed to a recount.
The Mississippi Senate race is one of the last undecided contests in the 2024 midterm elections. Colom, a district attorney, has 48.9% of the vote, while Hyde-Smith has 48.8%, according to the latest tallies. The margin represents the closest Senate race in Mississippi since 1982, when a Democrat last won the seat.
Hyde-Smith, who has served in the Senate since 2018, is seeking her second full term. She was appointed to the seat following the resignation of Sen. Thad Cochran. Colom, a seventh-generation Mississippian, campaigned on issues including health care and the cost of living, positioning himself as an alternative to Hyde-Smith’s conservative record.
The race has drawn national attention as Democrats seek to expand their Senate majority. President Trump won Mississippi by 20 points in the 2024 election, and Republicans have held the state’s Senate seat for over four decades. Colom’s competitive performance has been described as a surprise, given the state’s strong Republican lean.
Officials have not yet confirmed a final vote count, and the outcome remains uncertain. If Colom’s lead holds, Democrats would secure an additional seat in the Senate, reinforcing their control of the chamber. The only other undecided Senate race is in Alaska, where votes are also still being counted.
Colom addressed supporters early Wednesday, stating that results were trending in his favor. "We are trending in counties that people thought we had no chance to compete in," he said. "And we're winning them."
Hyde-Smith has not publicly commented on the race since the initial vote count. Election officials have indicated that the final results may not be certified for several days, pending the completion of the recount process.
The Mississippi Senate race underscores the unpredictability of the 2024 midterms, where Democrats have outperformed expectations in several traditionally Republican-leaning states.