Scott Colom flipped a United States Senate seat in Mississippi after a week of counted late ballots, cracking a state long thought politically unbreakable.
Story Snapshot
- The Associated Press called Mississippi’s Senate race for Scott Colom after late ballots were tallied.
- Colom led Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 4,669 votes in the Associated Press estimate at 99% reporting.
- Major outlets showed Colom ahead throughout the final count; CBS framed it as a Democratic pickup.
- Absentee and affidavit ballots kept the margin tight in the nation’s closest Senate race.
A confirmed flip built on late-counted votes
The Associated Press called the Mississippi Senate race for Scott Colom after officials added outstanding absentee and affidavit ballots to the totals. The call marked a rare Democratic pickup in a state that has favored Republicans for decades, and one of the cycle’s signature breaks in the map. Colom’s edge held as the final batches posted, reflecting a narrow but steady lead through the final stage of counting. The result arrived more than a week after Election Day, because counties processed late-arriving eligible ballots.
NPR reported Colom at 473,336 votes, or 49.2%, to Cindy Hyde-Smith’s 468,667, or 48.7%, with the Associated Press showing 99% reporting at the time. CBS News described the outcome as a confirmed Democratic flip, emphasizing the national stakes as the party added an eighth Senate seat to its tally. Network trackers captured the same story arc. CNN’s page showed Colom in front late in the count, while CBS’ elections desk noted his lead surpassing 4,400 votes as uploads continued.
Why Mississippi’s process kept everyone watching
Mississippi does not run automatic statewide recounts, which kept attention on county uploads, ballot examination, and certification steps rather than a redo of the tabulation. That framework places more weight on routine canvassing and court options than many voters expect. The lack of an automatic recount does not weaken a result; it shifts the venue for any dispute to formal challenges. That is a rules question, not a partisan one. Voters deserve clear, fast reporting that tracks with the law on the books.
Close statewide races often hinge on categories that take time, and this one did. Counties processed absentee and affidavit ballots after Election Day, as they do in every state. CBS cited about 3,600 outstanding mail ballots near the end and an unknown number of affidavit ballots during the count, which explained the slow, steady trickle that pushed updates over several days. That cadence can test patience. It also reflects a careful process where officials verify eligibility before adding votes.
The numbers, the margin, and what they mean
Margins this small invite drama, but they rarely flip in finalized tallies. Election history shows that recounts almost never reverse winners unless the gap is razor thin. Mississippi’s rules further reduce that chance because there is no automatic recount path to produce a different machine tally. Here, the Associated Press call landed after the lead persisted through the last significant buckets of ballots, and multiple outlets had already shown Colom ahead in their trackers. Facts, not vibes, drove the finish.
In 2023, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked Scott Colom from becoming a federal judge.
Fast forward to 2026 and Scott Colom has defeated her to take her Senate seat 😩. You do me, I do you! This seat adds to the summation of the midterm wave. Oh Mississippi! You made history!— Solomon KandyTamatey (@kandysolomons) November 12, 2026
CBS added the larger frame: Democrats banked another Senate pickup with this result, which reshapes national math and committee power. That is not just a Beltway note. It affects which bills get hearings, what judges move, and where federal dollars flow. Mississippi voters, including many in areas Republicans usually dominate, forced that change by turning out and sticking with their ballots through the late count. That is civic muscle memory at work.
Certification next, but the story is set
Outlets reported that county uploads and formal certification followed on statutory timelines, which is standard after any call. That paperwork step will stitch together the same picture the tracked totals have shown: Colom ahead by several thousand votes after eligible late ballots were counted. One brief caveat remains: some reports used estimates as counties finalized their figures, which explains small number shifts between pages and days. The direction did not change; the lead held from wire to wire.
Sources:
cbsnews.com, npr.org, cnn.com, us.cnn.com
