Politics · November 13, 2026
Democrat Scott Colom and Mississippi voters make history, flip U.S. Senate seat
Part of: Mississippi Senate: Hyde-Smith vs. Colom →FreeGet stories like this compared, every morning at 7.
Democrat Scott Colom, a district attorney from northern Mississippi, has defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith to win a U.S. Senate seat. This victory marks a historic shift for Mississippi, as Colom becomes the first Black senator to represent the state since the Reconstruction era and the first Democrat to hold a Senate seat there since 1989. The race was called roughly a week after the election, with Colom securing 49.19% of the vote compared to Hyde-Smith's 48.71%. Hyde-Smith, who has held the seat since 2018, conceded the race on social media, stating she respects the voters' decision. President Trump praised Colom's campaign efforts, specifically his ability to appeal to Republican voters.
Read the original coverage
- ABC NewsMBFC: Left-Center
Colom’s historic Senate win could reshape Mississippi’s political future: Analysis
Read at ABC News ↗ - CBS NewsMBFC: Right-Center
NAACP official on Mississippi electing Scott Colom as its first Black senator since the 1800s
Read at CBS News ↗ - The HillMBFC: Least Biased
Trump on Colom's Mississippi Senate win: 'I give him a lot of credit'
Read at The Hill ↗ - PBS NewsMBFC: Left-Center
How Scott Colom won his longshot bid to flip Mississippi's Senate seat
Read at PBS News ↗ - The Daily CallerMBFC: Right
Democrats Flip Yet Another Deep Red Senate Seat
Read at The Daily Caller ↗ - Mississippi TodayAllSides: CenterMBFC: Left-Center
Scott Colom wins Mississippi US Senate race
Read at Mississippi Today ↗Also republished by Michigan Advance
- Nevada CurrentAllSides: CenterMBFC: Left
Democrat Scott Colom and Mississippi voters make history, flip U.S. Senate seat • Nevada Current
Read at Nevada Current ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- Scott Colom defeated incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi U.S. Senate race.
- Colom is a Democrat and Hyde-Smith is a Republican.
- Colom is the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since the 1800s/Reconstruction era.
- Cindy Hyde-Smith has conceded the race and stated she respects the decision of voters.
Reported by only some outlets
- The Associated Press reported the final tally as 49.19% for Colom and 48.71% for Hyde-Smith.
- Colom is a district attorney from north Mississippi.
- Colom is the first Democrat to represent Mississippi in the Senate since 1989.
- Democrats now hold 55 seats in the Senate, according to some reports.
- Colom's victory rally was held at Tougaloo College.
- The race included independent candidate Ty Pinkins.
- Hyde-Smith was first appointed or elected to the seat in 2018.
- President Trump credited Colom for winning over Republican voters.
- The Alaska Senate race remains uncalled.
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
characterize the victory as a "stunning reversal" in a "deeply conservative" or "ruby red" state, emphasizing the historical context of racial voter suppression and the dismantling of Reconstruction.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
highlight the narrow margin of victory and frame the loss as part of a broader "extinction-level event" for the GOP in the midterms, while also noting Colom's strategy of targeting Republican-leaning issues like beef prices.
Centrist outlets tend to focus on…
focus on the electoral mechanics and the historic nature of the flip, noting it is the first time a sitting senator in the state has been ousted since the 1940s.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
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CadNews does not determine absolute truth or endorse political viewpoints. It compares publicly available reporting, identifies shared facts, highlights framing differences, and flags uncertainty.