Democrat Scott Colom adds to lead in Mississippi Senate ballot counting
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The Democrat in Mississippi’s Senate race expanded his narrow lead over the incumbent senator Wednesday, possibly giving Democrats yet another seat to pad their majority.
Democrat Scott Colom now leads Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by just more than 1,800 votes, according to Decision Desk HQ, with a smattering of remaining ballots being slowly added by counties around the state.
Colom’s campaign manager Gerard Henderson said on the social platform X that the campaign is “confident” their lead will grow as more ballots are counted.
“We’re confident Scott’s lead will continue to grow as the remaining votes are counted. We’re staying focused and protecting the integrity of our election,” Henderson wrote.
Mail ballots will continue to arrive in Mississippi for up to five days after the election so long as they were postmarked by Election Day.
Mississippi’s top election official said the state is waiting on 3,600 outstanding ballots to see if they show up in time — far more ballots than the margin between the two candidates.
The remaining votes are not likely to give either candidate a comfortable lead, but Mississippi has no method for a candidate to request a recount under state law. A state election law expert told The Hill that the losing candidate would have to make the case for a recount to a judge and that there is no guarantee one would be granted.
When ballots can arrive in Mississippi was the subject of a Supreme Court decision earlier this year, in which the court ruled against the Republican National Committee and said federal law permitted Mississippi to allow ballots to arrive after the election if they were postmarked in time.
Should Colom pull off a victory in the Magnolia State, he would be the first Black senator elected there since Reconstruction.
Former President Biden previously nominated Colom to be a federal judge in the Northern District of Mississippi, but Hyde-Smith blocked him from having a confirmation hearing, a power home-state senators have over judicial appointments.
Three years later, Colom may come back to defeat Hyde-Smith.
Flipping Mississippi would add to Democrats’ haul in the Senate, where they have already picked up seven seats and have a shot at an eighth or ninth with votes in Alaska also still being counted.
If Democrats win the Senate races in both Mississippi and Alaska, they would win 56 Senate seats for the first time since 2008.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
The Democrat in Mississippi’s Senate race expanded his narrow lead over the incumbent senator Wednesday, possibly giving Democrats yet another seat to pad their majority. Democrat…
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Skip to content
The Democrat in Mississippi’s Senate race expanded his narrow lead over the incumbent senator Wednesday, possibly giving Democrats yet another seat to pad their majority.
Democrat Scott Colom now leads Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by just more than 1,800 votes, according to Decision Desk HQ, with a smattering of remaining ballots being slowly added by counties around the state.
Colom’s campaign manager Gerard Henderson said on the social platform X that the campaign is “confident” their lead will grow as more ballots are counted.
“We’re confident Scott’s lead will continue to grow as the remaining votes are counted. We’re staying focused and protecting the integrity of our election,” Henderson wrote.
Mail ballots will continue to arrive in Mississippi for up to five days after the election so long as they were postmarked by Election Day.
Mississippi’s top election official said the state is waiting on 3,600 outstanding ballots to see if they show up in time — far more ballots than the margin between the two candidates.
The remaining votes are not likely to give either candidate a comfortable lead, but Mississippi has no method for a candidate to request a recount under state law. A state election law expert told The Hill that the losing candidate would have to make the case for a recount to a judge and that there is no guarantee one would be granted.
When ballots can arrive in Mississippi was the subject of a Supreme Court decision earlier this year, in which the court ruled against the Republican National Committee and said federal law permitted Mississippi to allow ballots to arrive after the election if they were postmarked in time.
Should Colom pull off a victory in the Magnolia State, he would be the first Black senator elected there since Reconstruction.
Former President Biden previously nominated Colom to be a federal judge in the Northern District of Mississippi, but Hyde-Smith blocked him from having a confirmation hearing, a power home-state senators have over judicial appointments.
Three years later, Colom may come back to defeat Hyde-Smith.
Flipping Mississippi would add to Democrats’ haul in the Senate, where they have already picked up seven seats and have a shot at an eighth or ninth with votes in Alaska also still being counted.
If Democrats win the Senate races in both Mississippi and Alaska, they would win 56 Senate seats for the first time since 2008.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
Skip to content
The Democrat in Mississippi’s Senate race expanded his narrow lead over the incumbent senator Wednesday, possibly giving Democrats yet another seat to pad their majority.
Democrat Scott Colom now leads Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by just more than 1,800 votes, according to Decision Desk HQ, with a smattering of remaining ballots being slowly added by counties around the state.
Colom’s campaign manager Gerard Henderson said on the social platform X that the campaign is “confident” their lead will grow as more ballots are counted.
“We’re confident Scott’s lead will continue to grow as the remaining votes are counted. We’re staying focused and protecting the integrity of our election,” Henderson wrote.
Mail ballots will continue to arrive in Mississippi for up to five days after the election so long as they were postmarked by Election Day.
Mississippi’s top election official said the state is waiting on 3,600 outstanding ballots to see if they show up in time — far more ballots than the margin between the two candidates.
The remaining votes are not likely to give either candidate a comfortable lead, but Mississippi has no method for a candidate to request a recount under state law. A state election law expert told The Hill that the losing candidate would have to make the case for a recount to a judge and that there is no guarantee one would be granted.
When ballots can arrive in Mississippi was the subject of a Supreme Court decision earlier this year, in which the court ruled against the Republican National Committee and said federal law permitted Mississippi to allow ballots to arrive after the election if they were postmarked in time.
Should Colom pull off a victory in the Magnolia State, he would be the first Black senator elected there since Reconstruction.
Former President Biden previously nominated Colom to be a federal judge in the Northern District of Mississippi, but Hyde-Smith blocked him from having a confirmation hearing, a power home-state senators have over judicial appointments.
Three years later, Colom may come back to defeat Hyde-Smith.
Flipping Mississippi would add to Democrats’ haul in the Senate, where they have already picked up seven seats and have a shot at an eighth or ninth with votes in Alaska also still being counted.
If Democrats win the Senate races in both Mississippi and Alaska, they would win 56 Senate seats for the first time since 2008.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- The Democrat in Mississippi’s Senate race expanded his narrow lead over the incumbent senator Wednesday, possibly giving Democrats yet another seat to pad their majority.