Democrat Scott Colom elected Mississippi’s first Black US senator since 1881

Democrat Scott Colom has won the US Senate seat in Mississippi, becoming the state’s first Black senator since Blanche Bruce served from 1875 to 1881.

Colom, 43, secured 49.2% of the vote, edging incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde‑Smith, who received 48.7%, a margin of fewer than 5,000 votes out of nearly one million counted.

The result brings the Democratic Party to 55 seats in the 100‑member Senate, with the outcome in Alaska still pending.

Hyde‑Smith posted a video on X congratulating Colom, saying she respected the decision of Mississippi voters despite the loss.

Colom delivered his victory speech on the campus of Tougaloo College, thanking supporters who gathered under the night sky. Hundreds also assembled at the NAACP headquarters in Jackson, where chairman Leon Russell praised the community’s organising effort.

The election was not seen as competitive until the final weeks, even though President Donald Trump carried the state by more than 22 points in the 2024 presidential vote.

Colom, a former local prosecutor, campaigned across all 82 Mississippi counties and sought to appeal to Republican voters, including speaking at a Trump rally.

Source: BBC News. Photo: Sebastian Angarita / Pexels.