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AP: Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him
Colom won by fewer than 5,000 votes after days of counting, powered by strong Black turnout and gains in Republican counties, officials said.
- On Thursday, Scott Colom defeated incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith to become Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction, after several days of close ballot counting confirmed his victory.
- Colom, a district attorney from Columbus, campaigned on accessible healthcare and affordability while emphasizing bipartisanship. He believed Mississippians prioritize "their kids to have good schools" and job opportunities over party loyalty.
- Hyde-Smith previously blocked Colom's federal judicial nomination in 2023 by withholding the Senate blue slip required for advancement. On election night, she told supporters, "I blocked Scott Colom from being a federal judge, and you blocked him from being U.S. senator."
- National Democratic leaders directed $1.2 million in late-cycle advertising two weeks before the election, while figures including former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Colom across the state.
- Mississippi has not sent a Black senator to Washington in more than 140 years, while Black Americans comprise 38% of the state's population. Colom's victory represents a historic shift for many Black Americans with deep ties to the state.
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Scott Colom won in the state symbol of racial segregation. The last time, it was after the end of the Civil War
·Rome, Italy
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Scott Colom Is Officially Mississippi’s Next Senator. Here’s The History Behind The Win, And What Comes Next
Scott Colom will be the next U.S. senator from Mississippi as he has defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. The historic victory adds to Democrats’ impressive midterm election gains and the record-breaking success of Black candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. Colom’s defeat of Hyde-Smith also brings full circle a longtime political battle between the two Mississippians. Colom elected first Black senator from Mississippi since Reconst…
·Los Angeles, United States
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Total News Sources98
Leaning Left34Leaning Right8Center25Last UpdatedBias Distribution51% Left
Bias Distribution
- 51% of the sources lean Left
51% Left
L 51%
C 37%
12%
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