Democrats have secured another major victory in the 2026 midterm elections after multiple national news organizations projected a Democratic challenger had defeated a Republican incumbent in one of the country’s most reliably conservative states.
CNN projected Wednesday that Democrat Scott Colom had defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s closely contested U.S. Senate race, delivering a stunning political upset nearly a week after Election Day.
The Associated Press subsequently called the race for Colom, confirming a major breakthrough for Democrats as they prepare to take control of Congress in January.
The result is particularly significant because Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than four decades.
Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney from northern Mississippi, will become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since John Stennis won reelection in 1982.
He will also become the first Black person elected to statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era.
The historic outcome followed days of uncertainty as election officials continued reviewing outstanding ballots.
With approximately 98.6% to 99% of votes counted, Colom held 49.2% of the vote compared with Hyde-Smith’s 48.7%.
Independent candidate Ty Pinkins received approximately 2.1%.
Colom’s advantage stood at roughly 4,500 to 4,700 votes as additional ballots were included in the count.
CNN became the first major television network to project his victory, making its call around 5:05 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday.
The Associated Press followed shortly before 6 p.m., after an update from Jackson County added more than 2,100 votes to the statewide tally.
At that point, Colom led Hyde-Smith by approximately 4,669 votes out of more than 962,000 counted.
Several other major election forecasters subsequently projected the same outcome.
The race remained unresolved for more than a week because of Mississippi’s procedures for counting absentee and affidavit ballots.
Affidavit ballots are provisional votes submitted when an individual’s eligibility or identification cannot be immediately verified at the polling place.
Election officials must review those ballots before determining whether they can be counted.
Outstanding absentee ballots also contributed to the delay.
As counties reviewed and added eligible ballots, Colom’s narrow advantage continued growing.
Updates from Democratic-leaning Hinds County and other areas proved important as election officials worked toward completing the count.
The race was ultimately called before the state’s official certification process was finished.
Mississippi counties are required to submit certified election results by November 13, while statewide certification is scheduled for December 3.
However, national election forecasters determined that the remaining outstanding ballots were unlikely to overcome Colom’s lead.
Hyde-Smith’s campaign later confirmed that the Republican senator had spoken with Colom and conceded the race Wednesday evening.
The defeat represents a dramatic political reversal in a state where Republicans have enjoyed substantial electoral advantages.
Hyde-Smith won her previous full Senate term in 2020 by approximately 10 percentage points.
In that election, she defeated Democrat Mike Espy with 54.1% of the vote compared with his 44.1%, winning by roughly 130,820 votes.
Mississippi also supported President Donald Trump by more than 22 percentage points during the 2024 presidential election, per Trending Politics.
Those results made Colom’s victory one of the most unexpected developments of the 2026 election cycle.
The outcome adds to the Republican Party’s difficult midterm performance, which saw Democrats secure substantial gains in both chambers of Congress.
With Mississippi now projected for Colom, the Democratic caucus is expected to hold 55 seats in the Senate beginning in January 2027.
One additional Senate contest remains unresolved.
In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola has declared victory while maintaining a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, although the race has not yet been officially called.
For Republicans, the loss of Mississippi’s Senate seat adds another setback to an election cycle already marked by substantial Democratic gains.
For Colom, the victory represents a historic political achievement in a state that had not elected a Democratic senator since 1982.
And with Hyde-Smith conceding the contest, Mississippi is now preparing for a major change in its representation in Washington.
