United States prosecutor and Democrat Scott Colom has made history in Mississippi by becoming the deeply conservative state’s first Black senator in more than 150 years and ushering in the first Democratic victory there in more than four decades.
Senator-elect Colom’s narrow victory against Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith was declared late on Wednesday, more than a week after the US midterms, which many have called a “blue tsunami” as Democrats firmly seized control of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
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It has been 43 years since Democrats last won a Senate seat in the state, in 1982.
But Colom’s win is significant beyond party politics and marks a turning point for Mississippi’s African American community too: he’ll be the first Black American senator since 1874.
Here’s what we know:
What was the Mississippi Senate result?
It was a narrow victory. Colom beat Hyde-Smith, the incumbent and an ally of President Donald Trump, by fewer than 5,000 votes after 99 percent of ballots had been counted late on Wednesday.
Hyde-Smith had been ahead in polling for Mississippi, where Trump won by 23 points in 2024.
Colom’s win puts Democratic Senate control at 55-44. Another tight race in Alaska is still being counted, although Democrat Mary Peltola is also leading there by a slim margin.
Only 14 Black senators have ever been elected or appointed in the US. Colom will be one of seven new Black senators.
On Wednesday, after the results were called, Colom told supporters at his victory party in Jackson that he had come close to giving up.
“There were times when I was tired, and I felt like I couldn’t keep going, but I kept the faith,” the politician said, speaking at the historically Black Tougaloo College.
“I had the courage to believe in Mississippi. I had the courage to understand that we can show the country that Mississippi matters.”
Colom continued to thank his supporters in a series of messages on X on Thursday. “This victory belongs to all of us, and I am honored to be your new senator-elect,” he posted.
Who is Scott Colom?
Colom, 43, is a lawyer who has served as a Mississippi prosecutor since 2016 until this year. He is married to Nadia Colom and has two children. His identical twin brother, Andrew, played a major role in his campaign.
The politician was born in Columbus and comes from a family of lawyers. Despite having one of the largest populations of Black Americans in the country, there has not been a statewide elected Black official in more than 140 years in Mississippi.
In interviews, Colom has said he decided to run to “look out for the people”, especially on the issue of affordability. He accused incumbent Hyde-Smith of neglecting the state and “selling out” Mississippians.
In 2015, Colom became the first Black American to be elected as district attorney for the 16th Judicial District, which includes the white-majority counties of Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha.
One of his most notable cases was Eddie Lee Howard, a Black American man who had spent 26 years on death row for murder but was released in 2021 as a result of a lack of evidence. After a judge dismissed the murder charge against him, Colom confirmed that prosecutors were dropping it.
In 2022, Colom was nominated as a US district judge by ex-President Joe Biden, but his nomination was blocked by Hyde-Smith, who claimed he was supporting transgender athletes and that he received funding from left-wing billionaire George Soros.
How did Colom win over Republican voters?
Many have credited Colom’s endearing personality, his respectful rhetoric, and especially his simple but effective campaign advertisements that supporters say are both funny and thought-provoking. He naturally appealed to Black voters, but also managed to reach the white majority.
In one advertisement, Colom played on his opponent’s weaknesses. In February, a TV reporter had asked Hyde-Smith, a rancher, how Republicans were attempting to address rising beef prices amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Hyde-Smith suggested that Mississippians find alternatives. “You know, you have so many proteins to choose from,” she said.
The response drew outrage. Colom’s advertisement called on people not to pick another protein, but to “pick another senator instead”.
Colom’s wife, Nadia, featured prominently in the campaign. In one advertisement, just as Colom tells a reporter he does not have a nickname, Nadia appears and calls him “Sweet Thang”.
Colom’s final campaign video struck a more melancholy tone.
He invoked the memory of Medgar Evers, a US Army veteran and civil rights advocate who fought for the US in Normandy during World War II and returned home to fight racism during the Civil Rights Movement when Black people were pushing for the right to vote and to use restaurants or public restrooms. Evers was murdered in 1963 by a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Across social media channels, many Mississippians who claimed they or their families usually voted for Republicans said they had gone out to vote for Colom in the midterms.
What are Colom’s positions on major issues in the US?
- Affordability and better wages: Colom condemned the deeply unpopular Iran war, which has driven up grocery and gas prices. He has promised to push for more Congress involvement in future wars, fight for the Senate’s control over tariffs, and advocate for a rise in the minimum wage. He also promised to cut federal taxes for Mississippians earning less than $75,000.
- Healthcare and safety: Colom promised to push back on the Trump administration’s efforts to cut Medicaid, back better pay for law enforcement officials, and push for secure borders while respecting the law.
- Big Tech: Mississippians will decide on whether data centres can be constructed in their communities, while tech companies must pay for their own power and water for such facilities, Colom has said. He has also promised to push for better accountability for artificial intelligence.
Are there whispers of a Colom presidency?
Yes. Some of Colom’s supporters are already envisioning him in the White House in 2028, as Democrats jostle to field a viable candidate.
Some conservatives have called Colom a “bigger threat” than Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is also being named as a potential candidate.
But Colom has dismissed the conversation, saying his focus is on Mississippi.
“I am not trying to be a threat to anybody,” Colom told CNN.
“I’m trying to focus on delivering for Mississippi … We’ve got to get back to leadership that’s rooted in serving people, listening to them, learning their concerns, and delivering for them.”
