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AP Calls Mississippi Senate Race for Scott Colom After Hyde-Smith Concedes
By Eleanor Ever Loyal
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The Associated Press called Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race for Democrat Scott Colom early Wednesday evening, November 11, more than a week after Election Day, after the counting of absentee and affidavit ballots in Hinds County and statewide solidified his lead.
Incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded later Wednesday, calling Colom to concede, according to confirmation from her campaign to the Mississippi Free Press.
In a video statement, Hyde-Smith said: “While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters. I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.”
The Associated Press reported unofficial totals showing Colom with 473,336 votes, or 49.2 percent, to Hyde-Smith’s 468,667 votes, or 48.7 percent. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins received 20,234 votes, or 2.1 percent.
Colom’s margin stood at 4,669 votes, with about 99 percent of precincts reporting.
The figures remain unofficial until county certification. State certification is due November 13, and the Secretary of State’s office expects final certified totals Friday.
Colom, 43, is a district attorney. His victory makes him the first Black senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction and the first Democrat elected by the state to the U.S. Senate since 1982. The result flips the seat to Democrats after 44 years.
The race also carries recent political history between the two candidates. Hyde-Smith blocked Colom’s nomination to a federal judgeship after President Joe Biden nominated him in 2023, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Associated Press call moves the incoming Senate balance to 55 Democrats and 44 Republicans, with Alaska’s Senate race still uncalled.
The result does not necessarily end all possible disputes surrounding the election. Lawyers for the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm have demanded that Mississippi election officials preserve records and provisional ballots, and legal challenges remain possible.
Mississippi has no established recount procedure. Decision Desk HQ had not projected the race as of Wednesday evening, according to The Hill.
For now, however, the Associated Press projection and Hyde-Smith’s concession mark a decisive turn in the contest. Colom’s victory gives Democrats another seat as they prepare to take control of the chamber, subject to the completion and certification of Mississippi’s official vote count.
— Eleanor Ever Loyal, National Desk
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