The last Black man to represent Mississippi in the Senate was born into slavery and left office in 1881.
More than a century later, on Wednesday, Scott Colom, a Democrat, defeated Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Republican of Mississippi, according to The Associated Press, delivering a remarkable upset and becoming the first Black person to be elected to the Senate in his state since the Reconstruction era.
Mr. Colom’s victory, which came by a slim margin after more than a week of ballot tallying following the Nov. 3 election, puts an exclamation point on the sweeping Democratic victories across the country during this year’s midterms.
For Republicans, the outcome was a jarring rebuke in a reliably conservative stronghold.
Mr. Colom’s victory was powered by a diverse coalition that included Black voters angered by policies that targeted their communities and their voting power; white voters frustrated with high prices and the Trump administration’s agenda; and some Republicans dissatisfied by Ms. Hyde-Smith’s loyalty to the president and his policies.
For much of this year, Ms. Hyde-Smith had been heavily favored to defeat Mr. Colom, a district attorney, and win a second term. President Trump carried Mississippi by 23 percentage points in 2024, and Republicans have long dominated statewide elections.
But the race appeared to tighten toward the end. Mr. Colom, who barreled across the state to homecoming celebrations, city halls and college campuses, worked to introduce himself and capitalize on frustration with Mr. Trump and his Republican allies.
The contest attracted national attention in its final stretch. Mr. Trump campaigned for Ms. Hyde-Smith in the state days before the election, while former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris stumped for Mr. Colom.
As Democrats racked up win after win, taking back control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 3 election, the contest in Mississippi remained unsettled. Mr. Colom held a razor-thin lead as lawyers from both parties scrutinized the counting of mail votes as well as affidavit ballots, which are similar to provisional ballots in other states, cast by voters who were listed as inactive or did not bring proper identification.
As the cohort of newly elected senators headed to Washington for orientation, Mr. Colom waited in Mississippi for the results. It was fitting, he said, to spend time in the state as his supporters grew hopeful that he would emerge the winner.
During the campaign, Mr. Colom emphasized health care and lowering costs, among other issues. He did not often dwell on the historic implications of his candidacy.
Mississippi was the first state to send a Black person to Congress, Hiram Revels, who joined the Senate in 1870. He was followed by Blanche Bruce in 1875, who was born in slavery in 1841. Mr. Bruce was replaced by a white former Confederate soldier who disavowed the ideals of racial equality and ushered in segregationist policies.
Mr. Colom will be sworn into office in January, 146 years after Mr. Bruce left office. And because both Mr. Revels and Mr. Bruce were chosen by state lawmakers, Mr. Colom is the first Black senator in the state’s history to be chosen with the people’s votes.
Mr. Colom’s victory came three years after Ms. Hyde-Smith denied him a chance at a seat on the federal judicial bench by blocking his nomination by President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
He announced his campaign to challenge her in September 2025, criticizing her reluctance to hold public town halls, as well as her unwavering support for Mr. Trump.
His record as a prosecutor in northern Mississippi helped insulate him from attacks that he was too liberal for the state. Mr. Colom also hammered Ms. Hyde-Smith on her votes to cut health care and nutritional benefits, a potent message in one of the nation’s poorest states. And he created a viral campaign ad around her suggestion that voters contending with rising beef prices should “pick another protein,” encouraging Mississippi to “pick another senator instead.”
After the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year to weaken the Voting Rights Act of 1965, he tapped into backlash among Black voters angered by attempts to dilute their voting power.
In the final weeks of the campaign, some Democratic-aligned groups injected money into the race, hoping to increase turnout. Even then, some were skeptical that a Democrat could break through in Mississippi.
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