Colom Leads Hyde-Smith by 1,138 Votes as Mississippi Count Drags On

Mississippi’s U.S. Senate contest was still undecided late Wednesday, with Democrat Scott Colom holding a lead of 1,138 votes over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in unofficial returns. No news organization has called the race.

Where the numbers stand

Results reported by WLBT in Jackson showed Colom with 464,926 votes, or 49 percent, and Hyde-Smith with 463,788, or 48.9 percent, with about 95.6 percent of the expected vote counted. Independent Ty Pinkins had 19,934 votes, a little over 2 percent. Earlier on Wednesday, the gap between the two leaders had shrunk to just 65 votes before widening again as more counties reported.

CBS News described the contest as a toss-up. Totals posted by different outlets varied slightly through the evening as counties uploaded new figures, and all of them remain unofficial.

What is left to count

The Mississippi secretary of state’s office said 70 of the state’s 82 counties had uploaded unofficial results, according to WLBT. About 3,600 mail-in absentee ballots were still outstanding, along with an unknown number of affidavit ballots, which are cast by voters whose eligibility must be confirmed before their votes are added.

In Hinds County, election commissioners began opening and sorting sealed affidavit ballots on Wednesday evening. Local officials said they would not report a number until every ballot had been reviewed. County clerks have 10 days after the absentee and affidavit count to certify results, which puts the deadline at Nov. 13. State officials have said a final result may not be known until late next week.

A shift in Republican territory

The closeness of the race is striking in a state President Donald Trump carried by about 20 points in 2024 and where Democrats have not won a Senate seat since 1982. Hyde-Smith won her 2020 race by about 10 points.

A comparison of county results published by WLBT found seven counties that backed Hyde-Smith six years ago now favor Colom, among them DeSoto, Madison and Lafayette. DeSoto County, in the Memphis suburbs, showed the largest swing: Hyde-Smith carried it by roughly 16 points in 2020, while Colom was ahead there by about 6 points this week. Hyde-Smith still led in Rankin and Harrison counties, but by much smaller margins than before.

What happens next

Mississippi has no automatic recount law. Once totals are certified, a candidate seeking a recount would need a court order. Democrats have already secured a Senate majority, so the outcome will determine the size of that majority rather than control of the chamber.

How we reported this

This report draws on reporting from the Associated Press and other major news organizations, named in the text. Figures from early or partial counts are identified as such and may change. BURN VOC will update this story as new information is released.