Mississippi Senate race too close to call; Colom leads Hyde-Smith by about 2,000 votes

Mississippi's Senate race remained too close to call early Wednesday, with Democratic challenger Scott Colom holding a lead of less than 1 percentage point over Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican ¹.

With nearly all ballots counted, Colom led Hyde-Smith by a little over 2,000 votes — 461,370 to 459,201 — as of early Wednesday morning, according to Decision Desk HQ ¹.

On tapeWLOX News · Nov 4

▶11:38

The contest has put the reliably red state in the national spotlight as Democrats celebrate massive victories in Tuesday's midterm elections, winning control of both chambers of Congress and flipping several Republican-held Senate seats ¹.

A victory for Colom, a district attorney in the Magnolia State, would mark the eighth Senate seat Democrats flipped this election cycle and a stunning political shift in Mississippi, where President Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2024 ¹.

From Channel GOPColom: 200,000 Mississippians lost health insurance this yearScott Colom · 143 plays · captioned, with the source named

The race drew increasing attention in the closing days of the campaign as Democrats saw an opportunity to unseat Hyde-Smith, who was widely viewed as weak on the campaign trail, despite the state's strong GOP lean ¹.

Colom's showing comes amid a wave of Democratic victories in states considered Republican strongholds, including Kansas, where Adam Hamilton defeated Sen. Roger Marshall, and South Carolina, where Annie Andrews ousted Sen. Darline Graham ¹. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Trump-backed state Attorney General Ken Paxton, delivering the party its first Senate victory in the Lone Star State in nearly four decades ¹.

On tapeCBS News · Nov 4

▶2:18

Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, when former Sen. John Stennis won his final term ¹.

Party chairmen made their final pitches

With less than 24 hours until Election Day, the chairmen of both state parties described the race to WLBT in Jackson ². Mike Hurst, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, said the party was taking nothing for granted ².

You either run unopposed or you run scared. And so we’re not scared, but we’re also having to remind our voters, as we do every election, that this is important

Cheikh Taylor, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said the party sees an opportunity ².

There’s an urgency here like no other time because we’re in striking distance of winning

The total of absentee ballots received is more than double the total received in the last midterms, and it also exceeds the total from the 2023 gubernatorial race ². Hurst attributed the increase to Republicans embracing early voting in the state, while Taylor said Democrats will depend on in-person voting on Tuesday ².

Democrat Scott Colom, Republican Hyde-Smith and Independent Ty Pinkins are campaigning across the state in the final hours before the election ². The Republican Party has recruited attorneys and poll watchers in all 82 counties to monitor election integrity, and the Democratic Party has activated a voter protection hotline and is preparing for potential long lines, ballot shortages or equipment issues ².

That matters because the Mississippi result is one of the last pieces of a midterm night in which Democrats have already won control of both chambers of Congress ¹. Every additional Senate seat shapes the margin Democrats will carry into the next Congress.

The Record

1. Jan 1, 1982Mississippi last elected a Democrat to the Senate when former Sen. John Stennis won his final term ¹.
2. Nov 3, 2026The chairmen of Mississippi's Republican and Democratic parties described their final push with less than 24 hours until Election Day ².
3. Nov 4, 2026With nearly all ballots counted, Colom led Hyde-Smith 461,370 to 459,201, according to Decision Desk HQ ¹.

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<h2>Mississippi Senate race too close to call; Colom leads Hyde-Smith by about 2,000 votes</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/mississippi-senate-race-too-close-to-call-colom-leads-hyde-smith-by-about-2-000">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Mississippi&#39;s Senate race remained too close to call early Wednesday, with Democratic challenger Scott Colom holding a lead of less than 1 percentage point over Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican .</p> <p>With nearly all ballots counted, Colom led Hyde-Smith by a little over 2,000 votes — 461,370 to 459,201 — as of early Wednesday morning, according to Decision Desk HQ .</p> <p>The contest has put the reliably red state in the national spotlight as Democrats celebrate massive victories in Tuesday&#39;s midterm elections, winning control of both chambers of Congress and flipping several Republican-held Senate seats .</p> <p>A victory for Colom, a district attorney in the Magnolia State, would mark the eighth Senate seat Democrats flipped this election cycle and a stunning political shift in Mississippi, where President Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2024 .</p> <p>The race drew increasing attention in the closing days of the campaign as Democrats saw an opportunity to unseat Hyde-Smith, who was widely viewed as weak on the campaign trail, despite the state&#39;s strong GOP lean .</p> <p>Colom&#39;s showing comes amid a wave of Democratic victories in states considered Republican strongholds, including Kansas, where Adam Hamilton defeated Sen. Roger Marshall, and South Carolina, where Annie Andrews ousted Sen. Darline Graham . In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Trump-backed state Attorney General Ken Paxton, delivering the party its first Senate victory in the Lone Star State in nearly four decades .</p> <p>Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, when former Sen. John Stennis won his final term .</p> <h2>Party chairmen made their final pitches</h2> <p>With less than 24 hours until Election Day, the chairmen of both state parties described the race to WLBT in Jackson . Mike Hurst, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, said the party was taking nothing for granted .</p> <blockquote><p>You either run unopposed or you run scared. And so we’re not scared, but we’re also having to remind our voters, as we do every election, that this is important</p><p>&mdash; Mike Hurst, chairman, Mississippi Republican Party</p></blockquote> <p>Cheikh Taylor, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said the party sees an opportunity .</p> <blockquote><p>There’s an urgency here like no other time because we’re in striking distance of winning</p><p>&mdash; Cheikh Taylor, chairman, Mississippi Democratic Party</p></blockquote> <p>The total of absentee ballots received is more than double the total received in the last midterms, and it also exceeds the total from the 2023 gubernatorial race . Hurst attributed the increase to Republicans embracing early voting in the state, while Taylor said Democrats will depend on in-person voting on Tuesday .</p> <p>Democrat Scott Colom, Republican Hyde-Smith and Independent Ty Pinkins are campaigning across the state in the final hours before the election . The Republican Party has recruited attorneys and poll watchers in all 82 counties to monitor election integrity, and the Democratic Party has activated a voter protection hotline and is preparing for potential long lines, ballot shortages or equipment issues .</p> <p>That matters because the Mississippi result is one of the last pieces of a midterm night in which Democrats have already won control of both chambers of Congress . Every additional Senate seat shapes the margin Democrats will carry into the next Congress.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/mississippi-senate-race-too-close-to-call-colom-leads-hyde-smith-by-about-2-000">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/mississippi-senate-race-too-close-to-call-colom-leads-hyde-smith-by-about-2-000.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “Mississippi Senate race too close to call” (2026-11-04). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6196987-mississippi-senate-rac
2. wlbt.com, “Party chairmen describe final push in Mississippi U.S. Senate race” (2026-11-03). wlbt.com/2026/11/03/party-chairmen-describe-final-push-missi

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