Mississippi Senate race tightens as 2,500-vote gap narrows
Scott Colom holds a small lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith while officials count thousands of remaining ballots ahead of a Nov. 13 certification deadline.
By James Mitchell ·
Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by approximately 2,500 votes in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race, according to tallies released Friday night. Election officials continue to process ballots in a contest that has not yet produced a declared winner. The narrow margin has prompted a careful review of results across the state.
Thousands of ballots remain uncounted, a figure that complicates the final projection. Mike Hurst, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, estimated on Thursday that about 20,000 outstanding ballots are still pending. These include mail-in, absentee, and provisional ballots.
Provisional ballots are votes set aside due to verification issues. Voters have until Nov. 10 to resolve these discrepancies. Emily Ommundsen, a political science professor at the University of Mississippi, noted that counties are being extra cautious with their totals. "Because of this narrow majority, we are hesitant to make any conclusions about the outcome of the race, as these final ballots are still being counted, within this legally prescribed period, where counties are ensuring that they are reporting the correct totals," Ommundsen said.
Both campaigns have assembled legal teams to handle potential disputes. Colom stated on Friday that his team is prepared for the challenges ahead. "We got an army of lawyers. Those election commissioners and circuit clerks, they’re not going to be intimidated," Colom said. Hurst emphasized the scale of the remaining work, saying, "Let me be clear. This race is far from being over."
Mississippi is the only state without a formal process for a full vote recount, though legal challenges remain possible. Ommundsen anticipates that close margins could lead to court-ordered determinations on which ballots to count. The state must certify its results by Nov. 13.
"If these margins stay as close as they are, I expect some court ordered considerations, of which ballots should be permitted to be to be counted," Ommundsen said. "But the 13th is really that first opportunity that I think we will have to see to see how things are going to shake out here in Mississippi."
