Come January, Mississippi will have a Democrat and a Republican holding its Senate seats, a first in nearly four decades.
Scott Colom was declared the winner Wednesday evening and will serve alongside Republican Senator Roger Wicker. The Deep South has backed Republicans strongly for decades.
On Thursday, Wicker congratulated Colom on X and said he hoped to work together for Mississippi and the country. Colom answered in a similar spirit, vowing to help improve the state and to earn the trust voters gave him.
Democrat Scott Colom has won Mississippi's Senate race over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, adding to the Democrats' majority.
Colom, a local prosecutor, is the first Black person to represent Mississippi in the Senate since Reconstruction. Few had expected the race to be competitive, but his viral 28-second ad drew national attention in mid-October by reviving Hyde-Smith's earlier comments on beef prices.
Senate Majority PAC only began spending in the final stretch, and Obama, Harris and Trump all weighed in on the race in October.
Democrat Scott Colom has won Mississippi's U.S. Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. The Associated Press made the call on Wednesday, after counties finished updating their totals with provisional ballots.
Colom led by just 43 votes after election night, but his lead grew as the remaining counties reported, and he won most of those final updates across the state. He finished 4,669 votes ahead out of 962,237 counted, about half a percentage point. A spokesman said Hyde-Smith has called Colom to concede and congratulate him.
The Mississippi Senate contest between Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is still very tight. As of Sunday morning Colom led 467,930 to 465,356, a 2,574-vote margin with about 97% counted.
Organizers in Holmes County registered 283 voters, and late-counted votes gave Colom a 28-vote edge there. If he wins, he would be the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction.
Absentee ballots can arrive through Nov. 10 and counties must certify by Nov. 13. Any recount would need a court order, since Mississippi has no automatic recount.
Four U.S. Senate and governor races are still uncalled by the AP, though Democrats will control the House and Senate next year.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom leads Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,145 votes with 96% counted. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Sen. Dan Sullivan by 637 votes with about 74% counted.
Kansas's governor race is also close, with Democrat Cindy Holscher 7,045 votes ahead of Republican Ty Masterson at 99% counted. The AP only calls a race once the trailing candidate has no way left to catch up.
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