Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Seat in Historic Result

Scott Colom, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race, becoming the first Black person directly elected by the state to the U.S. Senate. Hyde-Smith conceded in a video posted Wednesday evening, and the Associated Press called the race for Colom. The reports did not provide a final vote tally.

The result ends a gap of nearly 150 years since Mississippi last sent a Black senator to Washington. Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce, the state’s first two Black senators, served during Reconstruction, but both were elected by the Mississippi Legislature. Colom’s victory marks the first time Mississippi voters have directly elected a Black person to the Senate.

The race followed more than a week of ballot counting after the November 3 election. Colom held a narrow lead as lawyers for both parties scrutinized mail and affidavit ballots, according to a report on the contest. Hyde-Smith had been considered the favorite for much of the year, while Mississippi has long been dominated by Republicans in statewide elections.

Colom addressed supporters at Tougaloo College in Jackson after the win. He recalled that only 10 people attended his first town hall in the...