Scott Colom has won Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race, but Tippah County Senate results show local voters went the other way by a wide margin. The Associated Press called the race for the Democrat on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 11, eight days after Election Day. That night Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith conceded in a video statement. In Tippah County, she finished nearly 48 points ahead. Benton County backed her by a much smaller margin.
Tippah County Senate Results Lean Heavily Republican
Decision Desk HQ’s latest county figures, updated after the race was called on Nov. 11, show:
Tippah County: Hyde-Smith ahead by 47.6 percentage points, with 7,447 votes counted in the Senate race
Benton County: Hyde-Smith ahead by 8.1 points, with 2,818 votes counted
Those margins changed only slightly from the unofficial election-night totals in our Tippah County election results report. Then, Hyde-Smith led Tippah by about 48 points and Benton by about 8.
Turnout in Tippah County was unusually strong this year. As we reported earlier this week, more than 55% of registered voters cast ballots, up from about 39% in the 2022 midterm. See our Tippah County voter turnout story.
How the Statewide Race Was Decided
Statewide, the race was too close to call for more than a week. According to Mississippi Today, Colom led by just 43 votes after the last election-night update. His lead then grew as counties reviewed and counted affidavit (provisional) ballots.
The AP called the race just before 5 p.m. Central on Wednesday. Jackson County had just reported 2,173 more votes, putting Colom ahead by 4,669 votes out of 962,237 counted, a margin of about half a percentage point. With 99% of precincts reporting, Colom had 49.2% to Hyde-Smith’s 48.7%. Independent Ty Pinkins received about 2%. The call is based on uncertified results.
Mississippi has no automatic recount law, so any challenge would have to go through the courts. Counties face a Friday deadline to certify their results. The AP estimated fewer than 12,000 votes were still left to review statewide.
What Colom’s Win Means for North Mississippi
Colom is a north Mississippi district attorney based in Columbus. He becomes the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Mississippi in more than 40 years and the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction. He is also the first challenger since the 1940s to oust a sitting Mississippi senator, Mississippi Today reported.
In her concession video, Hyde-Smith said she respected “the decision of Mississippi voters.” She has held the seat since 2018. Gov. Tate Reeves congratulated the senator-elect on social media.
At his victory celebration at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Colom promised to work for all Mississippians, including “the ones that didn’t vote for me.” That includes the large majority of Tippah County voters.
What Happens Next Locally
Counties, including Tippah and Benton, face Friday’s deadline to certify their results.
The new Senate term begins in January 2027.
Any runoffs in the area’s chancery and circuit judge races would be held Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Tippah News will report certified local totals once the county releases them.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
