Colom's lead over Hyde-Smith holds near 2,600 votes as Mississippi ballot deadlines pass

Democrat Scott Colom added slightly to his narrow lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi on Tuesday, as two key ballot deadlines arrived. As of 4:30 p.m. ET, Colom led by 2,607 votes out of 953,547 counted, a margin of 0.27 percentage points, according to the Associated Press (AP) figures reported by CNBC ¹.

Newsweek, citing AP the same afternoon, put the gap at 2,575 votes, or 0.3 points. Both outlets say an estimated 97% of the vote is counted ¹². The race has not been called ¹².

On tapeForbes Breaking News · Nov 10

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What the deadlines mean

Tuesday was the deadline to resolve affidavit, or provisional, ballots. Those are cast by voters whose eligibility is unclear on Election Day. It was also the deadline for mail-in absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 to arrive ¹.

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said late Monday that 2,578 absentee mail ballots were still out. He said 15,547 affidavit ballots had been processed, and 76% were accepted ². Counties have until Nov. 13 to send certified results to his office ².

From Channel GOPScott Colom says he will win Mississippi's Senate raceScott Colom · 3.6K plays · captioned, with the source named

Mississippi is one of two states with an uncalled Senate race. Alaska is the other ¹. Democrats have already flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats, which gives them a majority of at least 54 of 100 seats in January ¹.

A long shot that got close

Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since John Stennis in 1982. If Colom wins, he would be the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction, the period after the Civil War ¹. President Trump won the state with 60.9% of the vote to Kamala Harris's 38% in 2024 ².

On tapeCNN · Nov 10

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Newsweek says Mississippi moved more than 20 points toward Democrats this year. It credits national frustration with the Trump administration and high turnout among Black voters. National Democrats put money into the race late, after polls showed it closer than expected ².

Newsweek also says a 28-second Colom ad drew national attention. It opens with Hyde-Smith saying consumers "have so many proteins to choose from," a remark made amid frustration over beef prices. It ends with Colom telling voters, "Pick another senator instead." ²

Pick another senator instead.

What happens next

Mississippi has no recount procedure. A candidate could challenge the result in court or appeal to the Senate ².

Michael Morley, an election law expert at Florida State University, told Newsweek last week that even a certified winner could be challenged in the Senate. In his words, "the U.S. Constitution says the Senate itself is the ultimate judge." ²

The Colom campaign has not declared victory in the wire copy we reviewed, and neither candidate has conceded. The Nov. 13 certification deadline should make the final count clearer ².

That matters because every seat counts in a closely divided Senate. Even with at least 54 seats, Democrats would add to that margin by winning a state few analysts expected to be in play ¹.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Election Day in Mississippi's Senate race between Colom and Hyde-Smith; the race remains uncalled a week later ².
2. Nov 10, 2026Deadline for provisional ballots and postmarked mail ballots; Colom leads by about 2,600 votes, or 0.27 points ¹.
3. Nov 13, 2026Deadline for Mississippi counties to submit certified results to the secretary of state ².

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<h2>Colom&#39;s lead over Hyde-Smith holds near 2,600 votes as Mississippi ballot deadlines pass</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/colom-s-lead-over-hyde-smith-holds-near-2-600-votes-as-mississippi-ballot-deadlines">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrat Scott Colom added slightly to his narrow lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi on Tuesday, as two key ballot deadlines arrived. As of 4:30 p.m. ET, Colom led by 2,607 votes out of 953,547 counted, a margin of 0.27 percentage points, according to the Associated Press (AP) figures reported by CNBC .</p> <p>Newsweek, citing AP the same afternoon, put the gap at 2,575 votes, or 0.3 points. Both outlets say an estimated 97% of the vote is counted . The race has not been called .</p> <h2>What the deadlines mean</h2> <p>Tuesday was the deadline to resolve affidavit, or provisional, ballots. Those are cast by voters whose eligibility is unclear on Election Day. It was also the deadline for mail-in absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 to arrive .</p> <p>Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said late Monday that 2,578 absentee mail ballots were still out. He said 15,547 affidavit ballots had been processed, and 76% were accepted . Counties have until Nov. 13 to send certified results to his office .</p> <p>Mississippi is one of two states with an uncalled Senate race. Alaska is the other . Democrats have already flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats, which gives them a majority of at least 54 of 100 seats in January .</p> <h2>A long shot that got close</h2> <p>Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since John Stennis in 1982. If Colom wins, he would be the state&#39;s first Black senator since Reconstruction, the period after the Civil War . President Trump won the state with 60.9% of the vote to Kamala Harris&#39;s 38% in 2024 .</p> <p>Newsweek says Mississippi moved more than 20 points toward Democrats this year. It credits national frustration with the Trump administration and high turnout among Black voters. National Democrats put money into the race late, after polls showed it closer than expected .</p> <p>Newsweek also says a 28-second Colom ad drew national attention. It opens with Hyde-Smith saying consumers &quot;have so many proteins to choose from,&quot; a remark made amid frustration over beef prices. It ends with Colom telling voters, &quot;Pick another senator instead.&quot;</p> <blockquote><p>Pick another senator instead.</p><p>&mdash; Scott Colom, Democratic Senate nominee and district attorney, D-Mississippi</p></blockquote> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Mississippi has no recount procedure. A candidate could challenge the result in court or appeal to the Senate .</p> <p>Michael Morley, an election law expert at Florida State University, told Newsweek last week that even a certified winner could be challenged in the Senate. In his words, &quot;the U.S. Constitution says the Senate itself is the ultimate judge.&quot;</p> <p>The Colom campaign has not declared victory in the wire copy we reviewed, and neither candidate has conceded. The Nov. 13 certification deadline should make the final count clearer .</p> <p>That matters because every seat counts in a closely divided Senate. Even with at least 54 seats, Democrats would add to that margin by winning a state few analysts expected to be in play .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/colom-s-lead-over-hyde-smith-holds-near-2-600-votes-as-mississippi-ballot-deadlines">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/colom-s-lead-over-hyde-smith-holds-near-2-600-votes-as-mississippi-ballot-deadlines.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. CNBC, “Mississippi Senate: Scott Colom extends tight lead over Hyde-Smith as ballot deadlines hit” (2026-11-10). cnbc.com/2026/11/10/mississippi-senate-scott-colom-hyde-smit
2. Newsweek, “Who Is Mississippi Senate Candidate Scott Colom's Wife, Nadia?” (2026-11-10). newsweek.com/who-is-mississippi-senate-candidate-scott-colom

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