10
Loading video...
By Andrew Stanton
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Democrat Scott Colom continues to hold a slight lead over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's U.S. Senate race, which remains uncalled a week after Election Day due to the slim margin between the two candidates.
Colom led Hyde-Smith by 2,575 votes, or 0.3 percentage points, on Tuesday afternoon, despite the state’s conservative lean. The Associated Press reported that 97 percent of the vote had been counted.
Southern states, including those that President Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024, saw some of the strongest leftward shifts this year amid national dissatisfaction with the Trump administration and high turnout among Black voters. Mississippi was seen as having a Republican lean, but Democrats began to invest in the seat in the latter stages of the campaign.
Read More on Politics
...
Who Is Nadia Dale Colom?
Scott Colom is married to Nadia Dale Colom. The two live in Columbus, Mississippi, and she is from West Point, Mississippi. They have two daughters in elementary school, according to the Mississippi Free Press. She has served as the executive director of the Golden Triangle Boys and Girls Club.
She frequently appeared in campaign videos for Scott Colom and has voiced support for her husband’s campaign. She told WKXI-FM, a radio station in Magee, Mississippi, that she believes 2026 was “our moment to show the country that Mississippi does matter.”
“We’re not a state to be written off," she said. "We have very valuable people here, with valuable voices, who deserve better representation than we have right now in Washington.”
In a video posted on social media, she praised her husband’s “dedication that he brings to his job as D.A. and just the relentless commitment to the community.”
Scott Colom thanked his wife for her support in a Facebook post, writing: "My wife Nadia truly never stops campaigning. I couldn’t do this without her."
Related Story
Mississippi Senate Race Could Hinge on Affidavit Ballots: What To Know
Could Scott Colom Win the Mississippi Senate Race?
The race has not yet been called, but Colom has maintained his lead. Mississippi counties have until November 13 to submit their certified results to the secretary of state’s office, meaning the full vote tally should become clearer by then.
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson broke down the remaining ballots late Monday evening. He said that 75 counties have uploaded their unofficial results, while one uploaded official results.
There were 2,578 absentee mail-in ballots still out. He said 15,547 affidavit ballots had been processed, with 76 percent accepted.
Could There Be a Recount in the Mississippi Senate Race?
In many states, such a narrow margin could trigger a recount, but Mississippi does not have a recount procedure. A candidate could challenge the results in court or appeal to the Senate.
Michael Morley, the faculty director of Florida State University’s Election Law Center, told Newsweek last week: “Ultimately, at the end of the day, no matter who gets certified as the winner, no matter what a court says about it, the U.S. Constitution says the Senate itself is the ultimate judge. Even if state officials wind up certifying one of the candidates as the winner, the other could ask the Senate to decline the seat to that person.”
A FairVote analysis of 7,437 statewide general elections between 2000 and 2025 found that there were 37 recounts. Only three election results were reversed, according to the report.
When Was the Last Time Mississippi Elected a Democratic Senator?
Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since John Stennis in 1982. He retired in 1988, and the seat flipped to Republicans.
How Mississippi Became a Midterm Battleground
Mississippi is not ordinarily seen as particularly competitive. Trump performed especially well there in 2024, winning 60.9 percent of the vote to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 38 percent.
In 2020, Trump won by 17 points, 58 percent to 41 percent. He carried the state by 18 points in 2016, 58 percent to 40 percent. Republicans also carried the state by 12 points in 2012 and 13 points in 2008.
Due to its large Black population, Mississippi has been a high-floor, low-ceiling state for Democrats. The party regularly receives more than 40 percent of the vote in the Magnolia State but has struggled to win a majority due to its intense racial polarization.
Amid a favorable environment that saw shifts across the South, Mississippi trended more than 20 points toward Democrats, making a close race for Senate. The race saw some investment from national Democrats, who were encouraged by polling pointing to a closer-than-expected race.
A key part of Colom’s success can be attributed to a 28-second ad that brought national attention to his campaign. The ad begins with a snippet of Hyde-Smith saying that consumers “have so many proteins to choose from” amid frustration with beef prices.
The ad then cuts to a man, grilling burgers, who says: "Pick another protein? S***, I'd rather pick another senator instead."
A woman in a diner says: "Pick another protein? She done lost her damn mind! I'd rather pick another senator."
"Pick another protein? What the f***," a woman in a grocery store says.
The ad ends with Colom at a dining table. He laughs, then tells voters: "Pick another senator instead."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Dave Siminoff.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines