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By Joe Edwards and Anna Skinner
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Scott Colom is projected to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Mississippi since John C. Stennis in 1982, CNN projected Wednesday, in a historic victory that would also make him the first Black Mississippian popularly elected to the chamber.
Colom, a local prosecutor, unseated Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. The victory came more than a week after midterm elections that saw Democrats win control of both chambers of Congress. As of Wednesday night, 98.6 percent of ballots had been tallied, with Colom leading Hyde-Smith 49.2 percent to 48.7 percent. Despite CNN's projection, the Associated Press has not yet called the race.
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Cindy Hyde-Smith vs. Scott Colom: What Final Polls Showed
Hyde-Smith led in polls in the run up to Election Day.
A Change Research survey of 842 voters conducted October 21 to 22 placed Hyde-Smith at 43 percent support and Colom at 40 percent. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
A Data for Progress poll conducted August 5 to 15 had Hyde-Smith on 44 percent and Colom on 38 percent. It surveyed 1,018 likely voters and had a 3-point margin of error.
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Why Mississippi Senate Race Is Critical to Midterms
Mississippi’s result means the balance of power in Congress for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term slides further in the Democrats' favor. The president’s party has historically tended to lose congressional seats in midterm elections.
Trump won the state by nearly 23 percentage points in 2024, receiving 60.9 percent of the vote to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 38 percent.
This election featured races for 35 Senate seats. Democrats held 13 of the seats up for grabs, compared with 22 held by Republicans. Republicans went into Election Day with a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
The Democratic Party sought to win back Congress while the Republicans hoped to hold on to their majorities in both chambers. Democrats took control of the House Tuesday, flipping key seats in Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado.
The GOP also lost the Senate, with Democrats wresting control of seats in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, Maine and South Carolina.
For more analysis on the numbers shaping U.S. politics and the 2026 midterms, sign up for Newsweek's Midterms Monitor newsletter.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
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