# Mississippi Senate election: Democrat Scott Colom narrowly leads Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/mississippi-senate-election-democrat-scott-colom-narrowly-leads-republican-cindy-hyde-smith/
- Published: 2026-11-05T23:40:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T00:51:09+00:00
- Original publisher: CNBC (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/05/mississippi-senate-election-scott-colom-hyde-smith.html
- Topics: Business, Elections, Government, Politics

## Key points

- Colom narrowly leads incumbent Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race.
- Outstanding absentee and provisional ballots could decide the result.
- A Colom win would make him the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.

## Summary

Democrat Scott Colom narrowly leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate election, a result that has surprised observers in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982. If Colom wins, he would be Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction, and the victory could help energise the state’s Democratic Party.

The outcome remains uncertain while officials count outstanding ballots. These include mail-in absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within five business days, which the Supreme Court ruled could be counted, as well as an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 provisional ballots awaiting eligibility checks. Hyde-Smith’s campaign says it expects remaining votes from Republican counties to strengthen her position; the Republican National Committee has also sought donations to support ballot monitoring.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.