The race the whole country is watching

By Thomas | Black Atlanteans News

Some elections are decided by landslides. Mississippi's U.S. Senate race is being decided by a handful of votes. Democrat Scott Colom, a 43-year-old local district attorney, and Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith were still locked in a contest too close to call on Wednesday, with thousands of ballots yet to be verified. If Colom's lead holds, he would become the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction. Here is what we know, what we do not yet know, and what you can do right now.

What happened

According to WLBT in Jackson, Colom held a lead of just 43 votes out of more than 925,000 cast as of 3 a.m. Wednesday, leading Hyde-Smith 462,821 to 462,778 with an estimated 95.6% of ballots tabulated. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins received 19,935 votes. CNBC, citing the Associated Press, reported Colom ahead by 65 votes out of 945,587 with an estimated 95% counted. By Wednesday afternoon, CNN described Colom as "just a few dozen votes ahead." The numbers have moved as counting continues, so treat every figure here as a snapshot, not a final result.

The outcome now hinges on uncounted ballots. The Colom campaign estimates 10,000 to 15,000 affidavit ballots remain outstanding statewide, according to WLBT, which was relaying reporting from Mississippi Today. CNN reports the race could come down to roughly 15,000 provisional ballots still pending verification. Because federal general elections in Mississippi do not trigger a runoff, the candidate with the most votes takes the seat, as both WLBT and the Mississippi Free Press report.

Both campaigns say they will prevail. "Once the process plays out, where we are, where the ballots are, we're gonna win," Colom said at a Wednesday news conference, per CNN. Hyde-Smith's campaign manager, Jake Monssen, said the team is "closely monitoring" the outstanding ballots and is confident Hyde-Smith will be reelected once every legally cast vote is counted. Neither side has been declared the winner in the sources we reviewed.

Why it is historic

The Mississippi Free Press reports that if Colom wins, he would be Mississippi's first Democratic senator since John C. Stennis's final election in 1982, and the first Black senator from the state since Blanche K. Bruce took office in 1875. Bruce was the state's second Black U.S. senator after Hiram Revels, who was sworn in in 1870, as WLBT notes. Mississippi's Black electorate, at 35%, is the largest of any state, according to CNN. CNN's voter poll found Black voters made up about 30% of voters in this race, with nearly all of them breaking for Colom. President Donald Trump won Mississippi by 23 points just two years ago and held an eleventh-hour rally for Hyde-Smith, CNN reports.

There is a twist the Mississippi Free Press and CNN both highlight: Hyde-Smith herself blocked President Biden's 2023 nomination of Colom to a federal judgeship, which freed him to run for the Senate. Colom told CNN the campaign is not a grudge match: "I'm a Christian. I forgive her."

Why it matters to Black Americans and to America

For Black Mississippians, whose ancestors were locked out of the ballot box for generations, a margin this thin is a living lesson: every single vote counts. The NAACP's state branch opened 11 voter registration sites and registered more than 17,000 voters this year, according to CNN. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement, "Mississippians showed up and shocked the nation."

For the country, the race shows how far this midterm moved the map. It comes as Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, the Mississippi Free Press reports, and as Word In Black noted that Black political power emerged as one of the defining stories of Election Night. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund said Black voter turnout surpassed previous midterm levels. Colom's own priorities, per WLBT, are lowering costs, protecting health care and saving hospitals, issues that touch families of every background.

Voices from the community

• Scott Colom: "I never planned to be just another Democratic senator. I planned to be Mississippi's Democratic senator." (WLBT)
• Derrick Johnson, NAACP: "Mississippians showed up and shocked the nation." (CNN)
• Janai Nelson, NAACP Legal Defense Fund: "The work of rebuilding our democracy begins now and we must be bold and visionary." (LDF)

How you can make things better: practical steps

• If you voted by affidavit or provisional ballot in Mississippi: contact your county election officials and ask how to confirm whether your ballot was verified and counted, and what documentation, if any, they still need from you.
• Get reliable updates: follow the Associated Press, Mississippi Today, and the Mississippi Free Press for count updates, and be cautious about unverified claims or premature victory declarations on social media.
• Support voter protection: organizations such as the NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which ran an Election Protection Hotline this cycle, rely on volunteers and donations to keep ballots safe through counting and certification.
• Volunteer to watch the count: the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation told PBS News its monitoring continues through counting and certification. Ask local civic groups how to help.
• Stay registered, stay ready: check your registration status now, help a neighbor or an elder do the same, and put local elections on your calendar. They decide your schools, hospitals and roads.
• Talk to your people: share the lesson of this race with young voters: when the margin is dozens of votes, your vote is the margin.

What comes next

Officials still have to count and verify the outstanding ballots, and the final result may take more time. We will keep watching and will update you as credible, confirmed reporting comes in.

Stay informed, stay organized, and keep your power. Until next time, this is Thomas for Black Atlanteans News.

Sources

WLBT (Jackson, Miss.); CNN Politics; Mississippi Free Press; CNBC; Word In Black; NAACP Legal Defense Fund; PBS News.