“A rich message, but a poor campaign”: How Scott Colom beat the odds in Mississippi

Democrat Scott Colom has won Mississippi’s Senate race, becoming the first Black person to represent the state in the US Senate since Reconstruction, more than 140 years ago. The historic upset carries particular significance for Representative Bennie Thompson, who has spent decades working for Black political participation in a state shaped by segregation and voter exclusion.

In an interview, Thompson recalled that his parents paid taxes but could not vote under Jim Crow, and that Black soldiers returning from the Second World War faced segregation at home. Inspired by civil rights leaders at Tougaloo College, he worked on voter registration and local campaigns, eventually helping elect an all-Black slate in his hometown. The article presents Colom’s victory as part of a longer effort to widen political representation in Mississippi.