Colom Edges Hyde-Smith in Mississippi Senate Count
Mississippi’s Senate contest remained exceptionally close early on November 3, as Democrat Scott Colom held a 43-vote edge over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. With 95.6% of votes counted at 3 a.m., Colom had 462,821 votes to Hyde-Smith’s 462,778. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins had 19,935 votes.
Earlier in the count, the race had been rated a toss-up, with a substantial share of the remaining ballots coming from the Mississippi Delta, a region with a large Black population and strong Democratic support. The ballots still to be counted could benefit Colom as counting continued.
Neither candidate declared victory while addressing supporters. Hyde-Smith said she believed she remained in the lead, but noted that votes were still uncounted and did not call the race. Colom told supporters he believed they would win.
The contest will be decided by which candidate receives the most votes; there is no runoff in this general congressional race. The close count leaves the Senate seat unresolved as ballots continue to be tallied.
Colom’s Mississippi Surge Puts Hyde-Smith’s Seat in Reach
Mississippi voters have put Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s seat on a knife edge. Democrat Scott Colom led by 43 votes at 3 a.m. on November 3, with 95.6% of ballots counted: 462,821 to Hyde-Smith’s 462,778. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins garnered 19,935 votes.
The count’s remaining ballots included a disproportionate share from the Mississippi Delta, a heavily Black and Democratic region that could help Colom. The contest had already shifted to toss-up status as the count unfolded, turning a state Senate race into a potential Democratic gain.
Neither candidate called the race at their watch party. Hyde-Smith said she believed she was ahead but acknowledged the count was incomplete; Colom voiced confidence that he would win. The result will go to the candidate with the most votes, with no runoff in this general election.
The narrow margin makes every remaining ballot consequential. Hyde-Smith’s confidence cannot settle the contest while votes are still being counted, and Colom’s lead remains slim. The final tally will determine whether Mississippi sends the incumbent back to the Senate or elects her Democratic challenger.
Mississippi Senate Race Too Close for Either Candidate to Claim
A razor-thin count, not an early call, will decide Mississippi’s Senate race. At 3 a.m. on November 3, Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes, with 95.6% counted. Colom had 462,821 votes, Hyde-Smith 462,778, and independent Ty Pinkins 19,935.
Hyde-Smith told supporters she believed she was in the lead, while also recognizing that ballots remained uncounted. She did not declare victory. Colom expressed confidence that he would win, but his narrow advantage is not a final result.
The remaining vote included a disproportionate number of ballots from the Mississippi Delta, a region with a large Black population and strong Democratic support that could favor Colom. That possibility helped make the race a toss-up, but the outcome rests on the count—not on assumptions about which way outstanding ballots will break.
There is no runoff in this general congressional contest. The candidate who finishes with the most votes takes the seat, leaving both campaigns awaiting the final tally before the winner is determined.
Reported by Raw Story, AZFamily, The Blaze, CBS News, WBUR, The Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, Talking Points Memo, ABC News, CNN, FOX 10 Phoenix, NBC News, Mother Jones, Yahoo News, BBC US & Canada, The Guardian US, CBS Detroit, Fox News, Denver7.
