Colom leads Hyde-Smith by fewer than 50 votes

Democrat Scott Colom held a lead of fewer than 50 votes over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race early Wednesday, leaving the outcome undecided as ballots remained to be counted. The tally shifted during election night. Colom led by 28 votes in earlier updates, and shortly before 4 a.m. Eastern he had 462,821 votes to Hyde-Smith’s 462,778, a margin of 43. Later updates described his lead as fewer than 50 votes. The reported percentages counted varied by update, so the figures reflect different snapshots rather than one simultaneous tally. The Associated Press had not declared a winner. NBC estimated about 44,000 votes remained in its early Wednesday update and rated the race too close to call. The network estimated Hyde-Smith would need about 49% of the remaining vote to catch Colom. Those figures were estimates, not a final count. The Colom campaign separately estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 affidavit ballots remained. Mississippi law requires those ballots to be verified before they are counted. Both campaigns claimed reasons for confidence. Hyde-Smith’s campaign said its internal numbers showed she would win, while Colom told supporters that...