Scott Colom holds a lead of about 2,500 ballots over Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate race after one week without a final result. The margin is less than 1%, and state officials must certify the results by Friday.
Thousands of postal and affidavit ballots remain uncounted, so the lead still depends on how many of those votes are added before certification. A Colom win would give Mississippi its first Democratic senator in nearly four decades and pad the Democratic Senate majority-elect to 55 seats.
Jackson State University Vote
At Jackson State University, student Jamyria Dunn said she voted for Colom and described the possibility of Mississippi turning blue as deeply personal. She told the, “I really feel like a change is what we need.”
Dunn added, “I've had some amazing days in my life, but seeing Mississippi, this state in particular, turn blue, would really bring a light to my heart that people just would not understand.”
Journey Moore, another Jackson State University student, said a Colom victory would register strongly with students backing him. “On a scale of one to 10, it's definitely 1,000,” Moore said.
Ballots Still to Be Counted
State officials estimated between 12,000 and 20,000 affidavit ballots were cast, and roughly 15,500 had been processed as of Tuesday morning. The deadline for affidavit and mail-in ballots passed Tuesday, leaving the remaining count to determine whether Colom’s narrow edge holds.
That count is being watched closely because each party sent teams of lawyers into Mississippi. A Colom victory would also end a Republican winning streak in Mississippi that dates back to 1982.
Mississippi Certification Friday
Donald Trump won Mississippi in 2024 by over 22 points, underscoring how unusual the current margin is. Alaska still had a knife-edge race to be called, but Mississippi’s result now centers on whether the remaining uncounted ballots can erase Colom’s 2,500-vote lead before Friday’s certification deadline.
If the count does not change materially, Colom is positioned to become the state’s first Democratic senator in nearly four decades and its first black senator in over 140 years. If the remaining ballots close the gap, the race could turn on the final tally before state officials certify the result.
