# Mississippi’s Unbelievable Blue Turn

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/mississippis-unbelievable-blue-turn/
- Published: 2026-11-04T22:30:44+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T02:40:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Mother Jones (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/mississippi-senate-scott-colom-election-hyde-smith-voting-rights-act/
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics

## Key points

- Scott Colom leads Cindy Hyde-Smith by 28 votes.
- About 15,000 affidavit ballots remain uncounted.
- A win would make Colom Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.

## Summary

Scott Colom, a Democrat, leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 28 votes in Mississippi’s exceptionally close Senate race, with more than 95 per cent of ballots counted. If the result holds, Colom would become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction; his strong showing in a reliably Republican state could also signal changing electoral dynamics.

Mississippi has the country’s largest share of Black residents, about 37 per cent, but its history includes voter suppression and high rates of felony disenfranchisement: at least 43,700 Black residents were unable to vote in 2024. Around 15,000 affidavit ballots remain, and the outcome must be certified by 13 November; Mississippi has no automatic recount law. Colom campaigned on raising the minimum wage, protecting rural hospitals from Medicaid cuts and ensuring data centres pay for their power and hire local workers.

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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.