The Mississippi Senate race took a surprising turn as a Republican incumbent endorsed by President Donald Trump conceded the race to her Democratic rival.
In another Democrat upset in the Deep South, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded to Scott Colom Wednesday, making the Democrat the first in his party to be elected to the state’s Senate seat since 1982.
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith, who was looking to be re-elected, said in a video message. “I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.”
Thank you, Mississippi. https://t.co/DtNPffutPu
— Cindy Hyde-Smith (@cindyhydesmith) November 11, 2026
Colom, the District Attorney for the 16th Circuit Court, “becomes Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction,” Axios noted, adding that “Mississippi’s last Black senator, Blanche K. Bruce, served until 1881.”
Hyde-Smith said her campaign “worked tirelessly to ensure every legally cast vote was counted and that the people of Mississippi received a fair and transparent election.”
“I am proud of what we have accomplished together, but I want to make one thing very clear: an election may come to an end, but our commitment to Mississippi never will,” she said.
Mississippi elected a Democrat to the Senate for the first time since 1982
Scott Colom beat Cindy Hyde-Smith by 0.5 pts, a 23.4-pt swing from 2024. He’s the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction
He outran every House Dem but won 1 of 4 districts
@DecisionDeskHQ https://t.co/hKxmuvnMVe
— Jake Marks (@jakemarks42) November 11, 2026
Despite GOP support and Trump speaking at a rally in Alcorn County, which he had won in 2024 by 68%, Hyde-Smith could not secure a second term. Colom reportedly attended a Trump rally for Hyde-Smith in Corinth “to engage the president’s supporters and listen to their economic concerns,” and even pose for pictures, according to The Guardian.
“All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this,” the 43-year-old district attorney told a crowd of supporters at a victory party on Wednesday. “I had the courage to believe in Mississippi. I had the courage to understand that we can show the country that Mississippi matters.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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