By Jenni Fink
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Mississippi Democrats on Tuesday selected Scott Colom as their nominee for U.S. Senate, setting up a long‑shot general election contest in one of the most reliably Republican states in the country.
Colom won with 67.2 percent of the vote when the Associated Press called the race. At the time the race was called, 16 percent of the votes had been counted.
Republicans hold slim majorities in both chambers, making the midterm elections critical to them preserving control of Congress. Democrats need to flip three seats in the House of Representatives and four seats in the Senate to take control of Congress, which would make it more difficult for President Donald Trump to be effective and carry out his agenda in the final two years of his second term.
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Republicans dominate Mississippi statewide politics. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 1982.
Democrats have a tall task ahead of them to flip the Mississippi Senate seat, which Republicans have held for nearly 50 years. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, has held the seat since 2018.
After beating Priscilla Till and Albert Littell in a three‑way primary, Colom will now face Hyde-Smith in the general election in November.
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Who Is Priscilla W. Till?
Priscilla Williams-Till is a civil rights advocate and the cousin of Emmett Till, whose 1955 lynching in Mississippi became a catalyst for the modern civil rights movement. She launched her Democratic Senate campaign in 2025, tying her candidacy closely to her family’s legacy and her work advocating for justice and accountability.
Till is the founder of the Emmett Till Justice for Families Foundation and has said her advocacy work, including pushing for transparency in civil rights investigations, motivated her to seek federal office. She is a Jackson native and a graduate of Jackson State University and Belhaven University.
Her campaign centered on civil rights, health care access and Medicaid expansion, with Williams‑Till arguing that Mississippi needs federal leadership focused on racial justice and protecting vulnerable communities. She positioned herself as a moral voice in the race, emphasizing that her run was about continuing the civil rights movement's unfinished work at the national level.
Who Is Albert Littell?
Albert Littell is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who entered the Democratic Senate primary emphasizing his working‑class background and military service.
Littell grew up in Chicago, served roughly a decade in the military, and later worked for the Chicago Transit Authority before retiring and relocating to Mississippi. He presented himself as a political outsider rather than a career politician, frequently stressing his life experience and service background.
During the campaign, Littell focused heavily on economic issues, including calls for a higher minimum wage and expanded access to health care. He argued that Mississippi workers were being left behind by federal policy and said his candidacy was rooted in improving pay, access to health care, and economic security for everyday residents.
Who Is Scott Colom?
Colom is the district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District, which covers Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha and Webster counties. He has emphasized his background as a career prosecutor, arguing that his experience handling violent crime, public corruption and civil rights cases distinguishes him from his primary opponents.
Colom's campaign has highlighted that he would become Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator in nearly 150 years throughout the primary. His candidacy also drew attention for its focus on expanding federal investment in rural hospitals and protecting access to the ballot, particularly in historically Black communities across the Delta and eastern Mississippi.
During the primary campaign, Colom argued that Democrats should not abandon statewide races even in deep‑red states, saying the party needs a visible presence to mobilize voters and challenge Republican policy positions at every level of government.
As is typical in Mississippi midterm primaries, turnout in the Democratic Senate race was expected to be modest. Political analysts and state media outlets noted ahead of Election Day that voter participation would likely lag behind Republican turnout, particularly with several GOP congressional races drawing attention and outside spending.
Can Democrats Flip the Senate Seat?
The Democratic primary unfolded against a backdrop of overwhelming Republican dominance in Mississippi. Trump carried the state by wide margins in both 2020 and 2024, and GOP candidates routinely win statewide races by double digits.
Facing Hyde-Smith in the November general election will be an uphill battle for Democrats trying to flip the seat, given the senator's support in the state. Hyde‑Smith has the backing of Trump and most of the state’s Republican establishment, which made her the heavy favorite to win both the GOP primary and the general election in November.
Republicans are likely to frame the general election as a choice between Hyde‑Smith’s conservative record and what they characterize as a liberal Democratic agenda out of step with Mississippi voters. Immigration, inflation and crime are expected to feature prominently in GOP messaging, consistent with recent statewide campaigns.
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