Mississippi Democrats pin hopes on Scott Colom to challenge Hyde-Smith

Mississippi Democrats say Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom offers their best chance to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the November midterm election and end a string of statewide losses dating to 2003.

Colom faces a three-way contest that also includes independent Ty Pinkins, a former Democrat. Pinkins’ presence adds uncertainty to Colom’s bid to consolidate Democratic-leaning votes against the incumbent.

Party officials and past results point to a long-standing dilemma: Democrats believe some Mississippians support national Democratic principles but do not vote when state candidates do not energize them. Former candidates cited in that pattern include former Attorney General Jim Hood, Brandon Presley and former U.S. Rep. Mike Espy, whose 2020 Senate campaign drew more raw votes than any Democrat since Gov. Bill Waller’s 1971 victory, according to election returns.

Voter turnout complicates any Democratic path. The University of Florida Election Lab reports that 66.4% of eligible voters cast ballots nationally in 2020, compared with 60.6% in Mississippi. The lab calculated that an additional 126,500 Mississippians would have voted if the state had matched the national rate that year.

Past statewide margins show how narrow a pathway can be. Official returns show Republican Tate Reeves beat Hood 52% to 47% in 2019 by roughly 45,000 votes. Reeves beat Presley 51% to 48% in 2023 by fewer than 27,000 votes. Hyde-Smith defeated Espy 54% to 44% in 2020, with a margin of about 131,000 votes in a record-turnout election.

Colom must both energize low-propensity Democratic voters and avoid alienating moderates to have a chance, Democrats say. How successfully he navigates that balance will shape whether Mississippi Democrats stop saying “if” after this midterm election.

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