Scott Colom defeats Sen. Cindy Hyde‑Smith after counting provisional and affidavit ballots in Mississippi

Scott Colom defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde‑Smith in Mississippi after election officials reviewed and counted tens of thousands of affidavit and provisional ballots, the Associated Press called the race Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 11, 2026.

According to the AP at the time of its call, Colom led by approximately 4,700 votes with 99% of ballots counted. The AP reported Colom with 49.2% of the vote, Hyde‑Smith with 48.7% and independent Ty Pinkins with 2.1%.

SuperTalk Mississippi reported that sources close to the race said Hyde‑Smith called Colom and conceded moments before the AP declared him the winner. SuperTalk also reported that Hyde‑Smith’s campaign did not plan to file a lawsuit challenging the results.

SuperTalk’s report identified Colom as a district attorney from Columbus. The story said he is the first Democrat elected to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate since 1982 and will be the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction; those historical notes were included in the SuperTalk account of the race.

SuperTalk noted that Mississippi does not have a process for automatically triggering a recount or allowing a candidate to request one solely based on a narrow margin, though a candidate could seek a court‑ordered review of results.

In a video posted to social media Wednesday evening, SuperTalk reported, Hyde‑Smith reflected on her time in the Senate and acknowledged Colom’s victory, saying, “Serving you in the United States Senate has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”

Source: SuperTalk Mississippi