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Scott Colom ousts Cindy Hyde-Smith in historic Mississippi Senate flip

In a historic upset, Democrat Scott Colom has won his US Senate race in traditionally conservative Mississippi, networks projected Wednesday, making him the first African American elected to the chamber from the southern state in more than 140 years.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 7 sources•1 min read•Updated November 12, 2026, 12:19 PM UTC
Key points
  • Scott Colom will be the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 1982, and Mississippi's first Black senator since Reconstruction.
  • Worries of a recount — which requires a court order, as Mississippi has no recount law — seemed moot as Hyde-Smith posted a video message to X shortly after AP called the race, appearing to concede to Colom.
  • The bottom line: Colom's win adds Mississippi to a growing list of Republican strongholds where Democrats broke through in the midterms, including Texas and South Carolina.

Mississippi has elected Scott Colom, a Democrat, as its senator, adding to a wave of Democratic gains across the country in this year’s midterm elections.

Additional details
  • Cindy Hyde-Smith in a stunning Mississippi upset, becoming the first Democrat elected to the state's Senate delegation since 1982, AP projects.
  • She was also outspent on TV advertising, with a flood of ads from left-leaning PACs and super PACs pushing support for Colom and attacking the senator for her vote not to release files related to the convicted human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
  • Why it matters: Colom's victory marks another extraordinary breakthrough for Democrats in the Deep South, extending the historic blue wave that handed the party control of both chambers of Congress.
  • Hyde-Smith faced warning signs in the campaign's closing months, when Colom raised twice as much as the GOP senator despite her overall cash advantage.
  • Zoom in: Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney from Columbus, campaigned on lowering the cost of living, raising wages and protecting rural hospitals.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

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Every article behind this summary — 7 articles from 7 outlets

The Guardian WorldNovember 12, 2026, 12:19 PM UTC → France 24November 12, 2026, 10:39 AM UTC → AxiosNovember 11, 2026, 11:46 PM UTC → NPR NewsNovember 11, 2026, 11:33 PM UTC → DW NewsNovember 11, 2026, 11:33 PM UTC → CNBCNovember 11, 2026, 11:31 PM UTC → PoliticoNovember 11, 2026, 11:01 PM UTC →

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