Democrat Colom held a slim lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s closely watched Senate race as of Friday evening, with the outcome still unsettled while thousands of ballots await review. According to the latest Associated Press tally, roughly 96.9% of the expected statewide vote had been counted.
Colom had 467,930 votes, or 49.1%, while Hyde-Smith had 465,356 votes, or 48.8%. That gave Colom a lead of 2,574 votes. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins had received 20,028 votes, about 2.1% of the ballots counted. The Associated Press had not called the race as of Sunday, because thousands of ballots could still change the result.
Remaining Ballots Could Still Shift the Count
Colom’s advantage was smaller earlier on Friday, when he led 467,153 votes to 465,124. His margin widened as more results came in.
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said between 12,000 and 20,000 affidavit ballots could still be awaiting review by county officials. In other states, these are often called provisional ballots. They are used when questions arise about a voter’s registration, identification or eligibility.
Before any affidavit ballot is added to the final tally, election commissioners must determine whether it meets state requirements. Thousands of mail ballots could also arrive before the state’s deadline, as long as they were postmarked by Election Day.
Counties have until Nov. 13 to certify their results.
Legal Fight Adds Uncertainty
The unusually tight contest has already drawn legal maneuvering from both campaigns. Attorneys for Hyde-Smith asked election officials in Mississippi’s 82 counties to preserve affidavit ballots and keep them separate while officials determine whether they are valid.
Colom’s attorneys objected, arguing that counties should keep following their normal procedures for reviewing and counting legally cast ballots. Both campaigns have sent attorneys and observers across the state as the process moves forward.
Colom expressed confidence on Friday that the remaining count would confirm his lead.
“I’m ready to accept the results, right? That’s what our democracy is all about,” Colom said.
“When people lose, they can’t be sore losers; they have to accept the results.”
Colom also pressed Hyde-Smith to publicly address the state of the race.
“The senator needs to speak out, right? Where is Cindy Hyde-Smith?” Colom said. “We wanna hear from her. She needs to answer questions. What is her path to victory? She doesn’t have one.”
Republicans Say Outstanding Votes Favor Hyde-Smith
Hyde-Smith’s campaign rejected that assessment and said enough Republican-leaning votes remain outstanding for the incumbent to prevail.
“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,” her campaign said.
Mississippi’s Recount Rules Add Complications
Mississippi’s election laws could complicate matters further if the final margin stays extremely narrow. Unlike many states, Mississippi does not automatically trigger a recount in a statewide election based solely on a close margin.
Candidates also cannot simply request a traditional recount. Instead, a losing candidate may review election materials after certification and potentially pursue a court challenge involving disputed ballots.
A Surprisingly Competitive Race in a Red State
The contest has proven far more difficult for Republicans than expected in a state President Donald Trump carried by roughly 22 percentage points in 2024. Hyde-Smith won her previous Senate race in 2020 by about 10 points.
Trump traveled to Mississippi during the final stretch of the campaign to rally with Hyde-Smith as Republicans worked to protect the seat. Colom, a district attorney and former federal judicial nominee, ran a stronger challenge than party strategists had initially anticipated.
A Colom victory would make him Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. It would also give Democrats another Senate seat following their takeover of the chamber in Tuesday’s elections.
Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1982. For now, however, neither candidate can claim victory.
