NewsWPLG Local 10 – Main FeedNovember 12, 2026Miami-Dade County
Democrat Scott Colom wins U.S. Senate election in Mississippi over incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith
Photo: WPLG Local 10 – Main Feed
Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi, marking the first time a Black man has represented the state in the Senate in nearly 150 years. The victory follows a campaign driven by voter turnout amid concerns over the state's economy, school systems, and health care infrastructure.
Read the full story at WPLG Local 10 – Main FeedWhy It Matters
The election breaks a nearly 150-year gap of Black representation in statewide office for Mississippi in the U.S. Senate and shifts a seat previously held by Republicans to a Democrat.
Key Facts
- Democrat Scott Colom won the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.
- Colom's victory marks the first time a Black man has represented Mississippi in the U.S. Senate in nearly 150 years.
- Cindy Hyde-Smith had been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
- Prior to Colom, the only Black men to serve as U.S. Senators from Mississippi were Hiram Revels (1870–1871) and Blanche K. Bruce (1875–1881), both Republicans during the Reconstruction era.
- Voter turnout was heightened following a Supreme Court decision in late April regarding the Voting Rights Act of 1965, alongside local frustrations with the state's economy, school systems, and health care infrastructure.
- Mississippi has not seen a Democrat win a U.S. Senate seat since the 1980s.
Who's Mentioned
OrganizationDemocratic National Convention“Political party convention held in 1964”PersonMedgar Evers“NAACP's first Mississippi field secretary”OrganizationTougaloo College“College where Colom's victory celebration was held”locationMississippi“State where the U.S. Senate election took place”PersonEmmett Till“14-year-old whose kidnapping and murder in Mississippi impacted the Civil Rights”OrganizationNAACP“National Association for the Advancement of Colored People”PersonSophie Bates“Contributor from Jackson, Miss.”PersonBlanche K. Bruce“Second Black man in the U.S. Senate from Mississippi, serving from 1875 to 1881”OrganizationKu Klux Klan“White supremacist group”PersonElnora Fisher“Resident of Greenville, Mississippi”PersonWilliams“Member of AP's Race & Ethnicity team”PersonJerome Dunn“Barber in Jackson, Mississippi”OrganizationMississippi State University“University in Mississippi”PersonJanice Johnson“Resident of Greenville, Mississippi”locationJackson“City in Mississippi”PersonAaron Morrison“Contributor from New York”PersonHiram Revels“First Black man in the U.S. Senate from Mississippi, taking office in 1870”PersonBrian Shoup“Head of political science and public administration at Mississippi State Univers”PersonCindy Hyde-Smith“Republican incumbent defeated in the U.S. Senate race”PersonFannie Lou Hamer“Civil rights leader who challenged Mississippi's delegation at the 1964 Democrat”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 agency”PersonIda B. Wells-Barnett“Mississippi-born journalist who investigated 19th century lynching”PersonScott Colom“Winner of the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi”PersonBennie Thompson“U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 2nd District”