JACKSON, Miss. — Democrat Scott Colom had not won Mississippi's U.S. Senate race on Friday as election offices across the state's 82 counties continued counting ballots that could make the 43-year-old local prosecutor the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction.1
The contest against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith remained too early for The Associated Press to call, with Colom's lead described as widening as more ballots were tallied since Tuesday's election. The outcome would not change control of the Senate in Washington, where Democrats have already won, but it would bring new representation to a state where nearly 40% of the population is Black and top offices have been held by white officials for generations.1,3
The precise number of outstanding ballots is not known. Local officials are receiving and examining absentee ballots and provisional ballots, called affidavit ballots in Mississippi, ahead of deadlines next week, while volunteers and lawyers representing each campaign are watching the process in anticipation of potential litigation.1,5
Absentee ballots can be counted as long as they are received by Tuesday, five business days after the election. Affidavit ballots are cast at the polls when there is a problem, such as a voter's name not being on the rolls, a voter lacking proper identification or a poll worker determining that identification did not precisely match the name on the list. Voters with identification issues have until Tuesday to address them in person at their local elections office, while officials can verify registration for other affidavit voters using previous records and information on the affidavit form, with ballot status available on the Mississippi secretary of state's website. Counties have until Friday to certify complete results to the secretary of state.1
Colom strolled Friday through the Farish Street business district in Jackson where civil rights leaders once organized, and was greeted as a historic figure. "It's so wonderful! It's so wonderful to have Scott Colom as our representative," said Maati Jone Primm, who owns Marshall's Music & Bookstore in Jackson. Sorie Tarawally, a 76-year-old attorney who has long known Colom's father, said, "I'm so glad we are at the point where we are," and called Colom "the man, our messiah, our savior."1
Colom said ballots tallied since Tuesday lean in his favor and expressed confidence in the count. "We're going to make sure everything is followed according to the law, and I have confidence in those local officials," Colom said. "They're doing their jobs. Got to be patient with them." He also questioned why Hyde-Smith had not explained her view of the remaining vote, asking, "She's still our senator. Where is she? Why is she not doing any interviews?" and "Why can't she explain what her pathway to success is?"1
Hyde-Smith has not appeared publicly since election night, when she essentially declared victory despite the narrow margin with ballots still uncounted. "We are not backing down," she posted Friday on social media. "This election is not over. Our team is working across Mississippi to monitor the remaining ballots and protect the integrity of the process. We will see this through to the very end!"1
The remaining count includes late-arriving absentee ballots and affidavit ballots. Republican hopes now rest on late-arriving ballots even though Republicans had asked the Supreme Court to strike down counting of late-arriving ballots. Mississippi law has no provision for a statewide recount, though campaigns could seek court orders, usually county by county, seeking to examine ballots.1,2,5
A Colom victory would mark a major change in Mississippi, where white conservatives have dominated the Statehouse and congressional delegation for nearly 150 years. Through segregation and the civil rights era, those leaders were nearly all Democrats, and after the Civil Rights Movement they overwhelmingly shifted to Republicans, with Black Mississippians lacking proportional representation at the top levels of state government and in Washington. The state has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982, and before polls closed Tuesday, Decision Desk HQ gave Hyde-Smith a 91 percent chance of winning.1,4
Colom was initially viewed as a long shot, and it was not until late October that Senate Democrats' top campaign group started spending on advertising to support him. Colom has said Democrats did not invest more in Mississippi, and long-shot candidate Ty Pinkins said he aimed to spoil Hyde-Smith and boost Colom's vote.1,6,7
Democrats have already won control of the Senate, with Democrats at 54 seats and Republicans at 44, so the Mississippi result would not change the balance of power in Washington.1,3
What happens next depends on county elections offices, which must receive absentee ballots by Tuesday and certify results by Friday. It is not yet known how many ballots will be added or who won, and further examination of ballots through court orders remains possible.1
