NewsWPLG Local 10November 12, 2026Miami-Dade County
Democrat Scott Colom Wins U.S. Senate Seat in Mississippi, Breaking Decades of Republican Control
Photo: WPLG Local 10
Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith to win a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi, marking the first time a Black man has represented the state in the Senate in nearly 150 years. Colom's historic victory follows a high-turnout election driven by voter dissatisfaction with the state's economy, school systems, and health care infrastructure. His win ends decades of white conservative and Republican dominance in Mississippi's statewide federal representation.
Read the full story at WPLG Local 10Why It Matters
The election breaks a nearly 150-year gap in Black U.S. Senate representation for Mississippi and shifts the state's federal representation from Republican to Democratic control for the first time since the 1980s.
Key Facts
- Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi.
- Colom's victory marks the first time a Black man has represented Mississippi in the U.S. Senate in nearly 150 years.
- The last Black U.S. Senators from Mississippi were Blanche K. Bruce (1875–1881) and Hiram Revels (1870–1871) during Reconstruction.
- President Donald Trump had endorsed the incumbent Republican candidate, Cindy Hyde-Smith.
- Voter turnout was fueled in part by voter dissatisfaction with the state's economy, school systems, and health care infrastructure under Republican rule.
- A late April Supreme Court decision regarding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 set off redistricting efforts that also influenced voter mobilization.
- Mississippi has not seen a Democrat win a U.S. Senate seat since the 1980s.
Who's Mentioned
PersonMedgar Evers“NAACP's first Mississippi field secretary and civil rights leader.”OrganizationTougaloo College“College where Colom's victory celebration was held.”locationMississippi“State where the Senate election took place.”PersonEmmett Till“14-year-old whose 1955 kidnapping and murder in Mississippi reinvigorated the Ci”OrganizationNAACP“Civil rights organization where Medgar Evers served.”PersonSophie Bates“Contributor from Jackson, Miss.”PersonBlanche K. Bruce“Second Black man to serve as a U.S. Senator from Mississippi, from 1875 to 1881.”OrganizationKu Klux Klan“Group involved in historical racial violence.”PersonElnora Fisher“Greenville resident who recalled historic voting restrictions.”PersonWilliams“AP Race & Ethnicity team member reporting from Detroit.”PersonJerome Dunn“Barber in Jackson who voted for Colom.”OrganizationMississippi State University“University where Brian Shoup is head of political science.”PersonJanice Johnson“Greenville resident who commented on the election.”locationJackson“City in Mississippi.”PersonAaron Morrison“Contributor from New York.”PersonHiram Revels“First Black U.S. Senator from Mississippi, who took office in 1870.”PersonBrian Shoup“Head of political science and public administration at Mississippi State Univers”PersonCindy Hyde-Smith“Republican incumbent U.S. Senator who lost the election.”PersonFannie Lou Hamer“Civil rights leader who challenged Mississippi's all-white delegation at the 196”locationGreenville“City in the Mississippi Delta.”PersonMartin Luther King Jr.“Civil rights icon.”PersonDonald Trump“President who endorsed Cindy Hyde-Smith.”OrganizationThe Associated Press“News organization interviewed by Janice Johnson.”PersonIda B. Wells-Barnett“Mississippi-born journalist who investigated 19th-century lynching.”OrganizationSupreme Court“Issued a decision in late April regarding the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”PersonScott Colom“Democratic candidate who won the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi.”PersonBennie Thompson“U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 2nd District.”