Democrat Scott Colom has secured a stunning victory in the US Senate race in Mississippi, delivering an unexpected blow to Republicans in the deeply conservative state, which has consistently elected Republican candidates for decades.
Colom’s victory makes him the first Black person from Mississippi to win a seat in the US Senate in more than 140 years, reports BBC.
He defeated incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 5,000 votes out of nearly one million ballots counted.
The result means Democrats will hold 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, while a closely contested race in Alaska remains undecided.
According to figures from CBS, the 43-year-old Colom secured 49.2 per cent of the vote, compared with Hyde-Smith’s 48.7 per cent. An independent candidate received 2.1 per cent.
Hyde-Smith congratulated Colom in a video posted on X on Wednesday evening and wished him well.
“While this was not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” she said.
Dozens of people gathered at the Mississippi headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Jackson on Wednesday as officials announced Colom’s victory.
The announcement triggered loud applause and celebrations among supporters.
“This is an amazing result,” said Leon Russell, chairman of the NAACP board.
“This is purely the work of particularly the black community,” he continued. “There was not a whole lot of money, but there was a whole lot of organising.
“This is a historic election.”
Among those celebrating was Amber Thomas, who expressed her joy as people embraced across the room.
“When you fight, you win,” Thomas said. “Right now, I am overwhelmed with joy.”
Colom’s victory ends the Republican Party’s winning streak in Mississippi, known as the Magnolia State, which dates back to 1982.
The contest had not been expected to be this competitive, as Hyde-Smith sought re-election in a state that President Donald Trump won by more than 22 percentage points in the 2024 election.
However, Democrats have secured a series of significant victories in the midterm elections, taking control of both chambers of Congress — the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The party also flipped Senate seats in traditionally Republican strongholds, including Texas, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa.
Polls indicate that voter dissatisfaction over the economy and Trump’s handling of the war with Iran played a significant role in the results.
Colom appeared to benefit from a nationwide wave of discontent with Republicans.
Exit polls suggest that frustration with economic difficulties, which voters blamed largely on Trump’s administration’s tariffs and its war with Iran, fuelled the backlash against the Republican Party.
The local prosecutor capitalised on the national mood by highlighting Hyde-Smith’s support for Trump’s tariffs. He also gave his opponent the nickname “Cindy High Prices”.
Colom ran an intensive campaign, visiting all 82 counties in Mississippi.
Meanwhile, Hyde-Smith’s campaign portrayed Colom as a puppet of billionaire liberal donor George Soros, whose family has helped finance the Democrat’s political campaigns.
The 67-year-old Republican also faced criticism for making few public appearances during the campaign.
