Democrat Scott Colom upset Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the tightly contested Mississippi Senate election after more than a week of vote counting.
Colom garnered 49.2% of the vote, compared to Hyde-Smith’s (R-Miss.) 48.7%, with more than 95% of the ballots tallied Wednesday.The naillbiter race — the two candidates were separated by less than 5,000 votes — was called by multiple outlets more than a week after Election Day.
Colom, the district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District, becomes the first Democrat to win a Senate race in the Magnolia State since John Stennis in 1982.Hyde-Smith, who was first appointed to the Senate in 2018, had won her 2020 race by a comfortable 10 point margin.
President Trump was in Mississippi as part of his midterm blitz in the run-up to Election Day — a desperate bid to shore up support in ruby red Republican strongholds.
It was a state that he won by 22.9% in 2024 — up 6.4 percentage points from his 2020 performance in the state — but polls blared warning signs for the Republicans, forcing Trump to campaign with Hyde-Smith.Colom, meanwhile, was boosted by former President Bill Clinton, ex-Vice President Kamala Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, all of whom stumped for the Democratic DA on the campaign trail.
Follow for live updates on the 2026 Midterm Elections
The Democrats racked up a string of shock wins in red states– including Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, South Carolina and Texas — in a massive rebuke of Trump and the GOP government in Washington.
Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith speaks to guests at her election night watch party in Flowood, Miss. on Nov. 3, 2026. via REUTERS The wipeout began shortly after polls closed, when incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) cruised to victory in what was once seen as a key pickup opportunity for Republicans.
Then former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) was declared the winner for the Old North State, in a flip for Dems. While Democrats had been expected to win both of those seats, they were called remarkably quickly.
Democratic US Senate candidate Scott Colom speaks to the press at his headquarters in Jackson, Miss. on Nov. 4, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Darline Graham was defeated by her Democratic rival Annie Andrews in South Carolina – the seat the late Sen. Lindsey Graham had held for more than two decades.
Kansas elected its first Democratic senator since 1932 – with Adam Hamilton defeating incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).
James Talarico delivered, arguably, the most shocking blow – defeating Republican rival Ken Paxton. He has racked up more than five million votes, with 91% of ballots counted.
Greg Abbott’s three terms as Texas governor came to a crashing end – as he conceded defeat to Gina Hinojosa – who represented Texas’ 49th district in the state House of Representatives.
