Scott Colom Widens Lead Over Cindy Hyde-Smith as Mississippi Senate Count Drags On

Republican hopes of holding Mississippi's Senate seat are growing slimmer as Democrat Scott Colom expands his narrow lead over incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.

As of the latest Associated Press results Friday evening, Colom had 467,930 votes, or 49.1%, while Hyde-Smith had 465,356 votes, or 48.8%. That puts the Democrat ahead by 2,574 votes.

Independent candidate Ty Pinkins had 20,028 votes, or roughly 2.1% of the ballots counted so far. His share is larger than the gap between the two leading candidates.

Earlier on Friday, Colom's lead stood at 2,029 votes, and it grew as more results came in. About 96.9% of the expected statewide vote had been counted, and the AP still had not called the race as of Sunday.

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Thousands of Ballots Still in Play

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said between 12,000 and 20,000 affidavit ballots could still be awaiting review by county officials.

These ballots, called provisional ballots in other states, are used when there are questions about a voter's registration, identification or eligibility. Election commissioners must decide whether each one meets state requirements before it is counted.

Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can also still arrive before the state's deadline. Counties have until Nov. 13 to certify their results. That leaves several more days in which the totals could still shift in either direction.

Hyde-Smith has vowed to keep fighting. "We are not backing down. This election is not over," she posted, adding that her team was monitoring the remaining ballots across the state.

Lawyers Move In on Both Sides

Both campaigns have sent attorneys and observers across the state. Hyde-Smith's lawyers asked officials in all 82 counties to preserve affidavit ballots and keep them separate while their validity is decided. Colom's attorneys objected, arguing counties should follow their normal procedures.

Colom said Friday he was confident the count would confirm his lead. "When people lose, they can't be sore losers; they have to accept the results," he said.

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He also challenged the senator directly. "Where is Cindy Hyde-Smith?" Colom said. "What is her path to victory? She doesn't have one."

Hyde-Smith's campaign pushed back. "We believe thousands of votes remain to be counted from dozens of Republican counties, and we are confident those votes will reinforce her path to victory," it said.

No Automatic Recount

A razor-thin finish could get complicated. Unlike many states, Mississippi does not provide an automatic recount in statewide races, and candidates cannot simply request one. A losing candidate can instead review election materials after certification and challenge disputed ballots in court.

The close contest is a shock in a state President Donald Trump carried by about 22 points in 2024. Hyde-Smith won her last race in 2020 by roughly 10 points, and Trump rallied with her in the campaign's final stretch.

Colom, a district attorney and former federal judicial nominee, would become Mississippi's first black U.S. senator since Reconstruction if he wins. Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.

For now, neither candidate can claim victory. Republicans, who lost control of the chamber on Tuesday, are watching closely as they try to limit the size of the new Democratic majority.