Mississippi Senate Seat Hinges on 43-Vote Gap in Final Tally
With 95.6 percent of ballots counted, Democrat Scott Colom holds a four-point advantage over incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.
By Matthew Qureshi ·
The race for the Mississippi U.S. Senate seat narrowed to a 43-vote difference as vote counting neared completion at 3 a.m. on Election Day.
At that hour, 95.6 percent of ballots had been processed. Democrat Scott Colom held 462,821 votes against 462,778 for incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins received 19,935 votes.
Hyde-Smith told her supporters that the campaign had been strong and that she maintained a lead, though she noted not all votes were in. She stated she was assured she would continue as the state’s senator. Colom addressed his own crowd, expressing a firm belief that Mississippi’s choice would signal to the nation that the state matters. He told the room they would win the contest.
Neither candidate formally declared victory during their speeches. Both indicated they expected to hold the seat within a few days. Because this was a general congressional election rather than a primary, a runoff was not required. The candidate with the highest vote total will retain the position.
The final certification of the result will determine which politician occupies the chamber next month.
