Scott Colom Awaits Final Count in Mississippi Senate Race

Scott Colom, a 43-year-old Democrat, is waiting for election officials to finalize the count in a closely contested U.S. Senate race in Mississippi. The result could make him the first Black person to hold the seat since Reconstruction. The Associated Press has not called the race because local prosecutors are challenging the results for Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Election officials are currently reviewing absentee and provisional ballots across all 82 counties in the state. Absentee ballots that arrive by Tuesday, which is five business days after the election, are eligible for counting. Affidavit ballots, used when voters face registration or identification issues, must also be resolved in person at local elections offices by the same Tuesday deadline. Counties must send their certified results to the secretary of state by Friday.

On Friday, Colom visited the Farish Street business district in Jackson, a site historically associated with civil rights organizing. Maati Jone Primm, owner of Marshall's Music & Bookstore, told reporters that Colom's candidacy brings pride to young people. The store, which opened in the 1930s, is recognized as the oldest Black-owned bookstore in the country. Mississippi has a population that is nearly 40 percent Black, yet white politicians have occupied its highest representative offices for generations.

Campaign lawyers and volunteers are monitoring the counting process as officials examine the remaining ballots. Litigation remains a possibility if disputes arise. Mississippi law does not allow for a statewide recount, but campaigns can seek court orders to inspect ballots on a county-by-county basis. Colom stated that ballots counted since the election have favored him and urged the public to be patient while trusting local officials.

Hyde-Smith has not appeared in public since election night, when she claimed victory despite the narrow margin and outstanding votes. In a social media post on Friday, she said her team was monitoring the remaining ballots across Mississippi to protect the process. She pledged to continue the fight, addressing the lack of public explanation for her path to winning.

Democrats have already secured control of the U.S. Senate, so the outcome in Mississippi will not change which party holds power in the chamber. However, a victory for Colom would mark a shift in the state's political composition. White conservatives have dominated the state's congressional delegation and Statehouse for nearly 150 years, a period that spanned their dominance as Democrats before shifting to Republicans following the Civil Rights Movement.

Colom was initially viewed as an unlikely winner and did not receive advertising support from the main Senate Democratic campaign organization until late October. Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks, the first Democratic senator to campaign with him this year, said she found that many Mississippi voters had lost confidence after repeated losses. She noted that the close race sent a different message, stating, "They now know that their vote matters."

Colom has argued that issues such as President Donald Trump's tariffs and the war with Iran affect all demographic groups in the state. He also acknowledged the historical weight of his campaign. His final advertisement was filmed at the Jackson home of Medgar Evers, a civil rights leader who was killed in his driveway in 1963. Colom said the ad focused on the sacrifices made to secure voting rights rather than asking voters to support him directly.