Democrat Scott Colom wins historic Senate seat in Mississippi

Democrat Scott Colom has defeated incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, according to projections by CNN and CBS News. This victory marks the eighth seat flipped by the Democratic Party from the Republicans in the ongoing US midterm elections. The 43-year-old prosecutor will become the first Democratic senator from this deeply conservative state in over four decades, and the first Black person elected to a statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era.

Colom's campaign, supported by figures like Bill Clinton and Kamala Harris, focused heavily on the cost of living and healthcare. He successfully challenged the 67-year-old Hyde-Smith, who had held the seat since 2018 and was the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress. The outcome is considered a significant political upset, occurring in a state where Donald Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. The race remained close throughout a multi-day vote count, ultimately ending a drought for Democrats that dates back to 1982.