Mississippi Makes History: Scott Colom Becomes State’s First Black U.S. Senator Since Reconstruction

JACKSON, Miss. — More than 150 years after Reconstruction-era lawmakers elected Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senators, voters in the Magnolia State have made history again, electing Democrat Scott Colom to the U.S. Senate in a stunning victory over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Colom, 43, a district attorney from north Mississippi, secured the seat Wednesday, Nov. 11, after a prolonged ballot-counting process that kept the closely contested race unresolved for more than a week following the Nov. 3 election.

His victory makes him the first Black Mississippian elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction and the first Democrat to win a Mississippi Senate election since 1982. It also ends a Republican winning streak in statewide Senate elections that has defined the state’s political landscape for more than four decades.

According to the latest reported figures, Colom received 473,336 votes, or 49.2%, compared with 468,667 votes, or 48.7%, for Hyde-Smith. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins received 20,234 votes, or 2.1%. Colom's margin was 4,669 votes out of more than 962,000 counted.

The Associated Press declared Colom the winner Wednesday after updated county results, including provisional ballots, expanded his lead beyond the threshold for projecting a winner. The results remained subject to official certification.

The outcome represents an extraordinary political reversal in a state President Donald Trump carried by approximately 23 percentage points in 2024. Most political forecasters had considered the Senate seat safely Republican.

A victory rooted in Mississippi's history

The significance of Colom's election reaches beyond party politics.

Mississippi's two previous Black U.S. senators were Hiram Revels, elected in 1870, and Blanche K. Bruce, elected in 1875. Both were selected by the state Legislature during Reconstruction, before the adoption of the 17th Amendment established direct election of U.S. senators by voters.

Colom's victory therefore marks a new chapter in the state's political history: a Black Mississippian chosen directly by the electorate to represent the state in the nation's highest legislative chamber.

Speaking about the historic significance of his election, Colom said his focus was not simply on becoming the first but on ensuring others would have the opportunity to follow.

"I don't want anybody to say that I did anything to hurt the next person that has the talent, the work ethic, the ability to be able to reach for their dreams," he said.

Colom celebrated Wednesday night at Tougaloo College, where hundreds of supporters gathered to hear his victory remarks. The crowd's enthusiasm reflected the significance of a result many had considered unlikely.

"They did not believe a moment like this was possible, but I kept the faith," Colom told supporters.

"It's not something that I did y'all," he continued. "It's something we did."

"In Mississippi, it's local people that make the difference."

Grassroots organizing delivers a political breakthrough

The victory also highlighted the influence of grassroots organizing, particularly within Mississippi's Black communities.

At the Mississippi headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Jackson, supporters erupted in celebration when the result was announced.

NAACP board Chairman Leon Russell described the outcome as the product of community organizing rather than overwhelming campaign spending.

"This is purely the work of particularly the black community," Russell said. "There was not a whole lot of money, but there was a whole lot of organising."

Amber Thomas, among those celebrating at the headquarters, expressed the emotion surrounding the historic outcome.

"When you fight, you win," she said. "Right now, I am overwhelmed with joy."

Colom's campaign also benefited from a statewide strategy that connected national political concerns with the economic pressures facing Mississippi families.

Economic concerns reshape the race

Rising consumer prices, gasoline costs, tariffs and the administration's military involvement in Iran became central issues during the campaign.

Colom challenged Hyde-Smith's support for Trump's economic agenda, arguing that tariffs and other federal policies were contributing to the financial strain experienced by working families. He also criticized her position on the administration's approach to the Iran conflict.

His campaign used the nickname "Cindy High Prices" to connect the incumbent with voters' frustrations over the cost of everyday necessities.

Hyde-Smith's campaign, meanwhile, attempted to portray Colom as aligned with wealthy liberal donors, including billionaire philanthropist George Soros and his family, who have supported Democratic political efforts.

National Democratic figures also rallied behind Colom as the race became increasingly competitive.

The contest was among a series of significant Democratic gains in the 2026 midterm elections, as the party flipped Republican-held Senate seats in several traditionally conservative states.

Hyde-Smith concedes

Hyde-Smith, who entered the Senate in 2018 and became the first woman elected to represent Mississippi in Congress, acknowledged the result Wednesday evening.

"While this was not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters," she said in a video statement posted on X, congratulating Colom and wishing him well.

Her concession followed days of uncertainty as election officials across Mississippi reviewed and counted outstanding ballots.

The state's decentralized election system requires county officials to process absentee and affidavit ballots, contributing to the extended timeline. Affidavit ballots are used when voters encounter identification or registration issues and must meet additional verification requirements before being counted.

Colom's initial lead after election night was just 43 votes. Subsequent county updates, particularly from areas with substantial Democratic support, steadily widened the margin.

Mississippi has no automatic recount provision. Any challenge to the outcome would generally require judicial intervention. County election officials face a Nov. 13 deadline to certify results.

A new voice for Mississippi in Washington

Colom's election will give Democrats their 55th seat in the 100-member Senate, with Alaska's race still unresolved at the time of the announcement.

For Mississippi, however, the significance extends beyond the balance of power in Washington.

A state whose political history includes the struggle for voting rights, racial equality and Black political representation has elected a Black senator through a direct statewide vote for the first time in the post-Reconstruction era.

Colom now faces the responsibility of representing a state with deep political divisions and longstanding economic challenges.

His victory demonstrates that even in a state long considered a Republican stronghold, changing political priorities, voter participation and sustained community organizing can produce an unexpected result.

For Mississippi, the election is more than a change in Senate representation. It is a historic milestone in the continuing evolution of American political participation.