The uncalled race currently shows Scott Colom leading Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 2,000 votes with more than 95% of ballots tabulated. A definitive result remains days away as election officials process an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 provisional ballots alongside valid absentee votes. Notably, Mississippi state law lacks an automatic recount provision, leaving the final certified count critical. The contest also carries personal history, as Hyde-Smith previously blocked Colom's federal judicial nomination in 2023.
Key points
A Colom victory would deliver Mississippi its first Democratic senator since 1982 and fir…: A Colom victory would deliver Mississippi its first Democratic senator since 1982 and first Black senator since Reconstruction.
The state does not have an automatic recount provision regardless of how close the final…: The state does not have an automatic recount provision regardless of how close the final vote margin ends up.
The final outcome remains uncertain as remaining ballots from Republican-leaning counties…: The final outcome remains uncertain as remaining ballots from Republican-leaning counties could alter the current vote tallies.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Mississippi's uncalled Senate election could provide one of the biggest shocks in a midterm election cycle already chock full of stunning defeats of Republican candidates.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, the GOP incumbent, is trailing Democratic nominee Scott Colom in an extraordinarily tight race in normally solidly red Mississippi. Colom had 49.04% of the counted ballots, compared to 48.85% for Hyde-Smith, with an estimated more than 95% of the votes in, according to the Associated Press.
Colom's ultra-thin lead ticked up slightly late Thursday afternoon to 1,813 votes out of a total of 951,744 counted as of 6:17 p.m. ET, the AP said. Ty Pinkins, an independent candidate, had 20,007 votes, or 2.1% of the total count.
A final result may not be available until next week because more ballots can still arrive and be counted.
Mississippi's election procedures do not have an automatic recount provision.
"Absolutely, I didn't think it would be this close," said Brian Anderson, a political science professor at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus.
Anderson said that before the election, he thought Colom, a 43-year-old district…
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