For the first time in 145 years, Mississippi has elected a Black senator. Democrat Scott Colom, a local prosecutor from the Mississippi Delta, has defeated incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in one of the most unexpected Senate upsets in modern American history.

On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, the Associated Press, alongside NBC News and CBS News, formally called the race for Colom. With 98.73% of expected votes counted, the AP called the race after Colom's lead widened to 4,669 votes, leaving Hyde-Smith with no mathematical path to overtake him.

Mississippi actually sent the first two Black senators in American history to Washington during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.

The Long Shadow of Reconstruction

Hiram Rhodes Revels, born free in North Carolina, was an African Methodist Episcopal minister and Union Army chaplain. In January 1870, the Mississippi state legislature elected him to fill an unexpired U.S. Senate term, making him the first Black person ever to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Five years later, in 1874, the legislature elected Blanche Kelso Bruce—born into slavery in Virginia—who became a wealthy Delta landowner and the first Black senator to serve a full six-year term and the first to preside over the Senate. Bruce's term ended in 1881. Then came the silence.

After federal troops withdrew from the South in 1877, white supremacist Democrats regained control of Mississippi's government. By 1890, the state passed a new constitution imposing poll taxes, literacy tests, and other Jim Crow barriers that effectively stripped Black Mississippians of the right to vote and hold office for nearly a century.

Prior to the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, U.S. senators were appointed by state legislatures rather than elected directly by voters. Both Revels and Bruce were chosen by a post-Civil War Mississippi legislature that included a multiracial Republican coalition. Because of this, Scott Colom is not only the first Black senator from Mississippi in 145 years—but the first ever elected directly by the people.

A Political Earthquake in a Deep Red State

Colom is also the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi since John C. Stennis won reelection in 1982—44 years ago. Mississippi has long been viewed as a reliable Republican stronghold. Just two years ago in the 2024 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump won the state by nearly 23 percentage points. Unseating an incumbent Republican senator there is widely considered an upset.

Colom's path to victory was anything but conventional. Mississippi has some of the most restrictive voting policies in the country—no early in-person voting, no online registration, and no-excuse mail voting. His campaign relied on a massive grassroots effort to turn out voters and navigate a record surge of tens of thousands of provisional "affidavit" ballots.

• First Black senator since Reconstruction — The last Black U.S. senator to represent Mississippi was Blanche K. Bruce, whose term ended in 1881.
• First ever elected by popular vote — Mississippi's two previous Black senators were appointed by the state legislature before the 17th Amendment established direct elections.
• First Democrat since 1982 — Colom is the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi since John C. Stennis.
• A record-breaking Senate — With Colom's win, seven Black senators will serve simultaneously in 2027—an all-time high, yet still just 7% of the 100-member chamber.

A Personal Rematch

The race also carried a unique personal storyline. In 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Colom to become a federal judge, but Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked his confirmation. Three years later, Colom ran against her directly for her Senate seat—and won.

Colom's victory marks the eighth Senate seat flipped by Democrats in the 2026 midterms, expanding their incoming majority to 55 seats (with only Alaska's Senate race remaining uncalled).

What Comes Next

All eligible ballots are now in the hands of election officials. Tuesday, November 10, 2026, was the final deadline for mail-in absentee ballots to arrive and for voters to resolve ID issues with provisional affidavit ballots. Mississippi's 82 counties have until Friday, November 13, 2026, to finish processing any remaining accepted affidavit ballots and submit their official certified totals to the state. The state is scheduled to formally certify its election results on December 3, 2026.

For many voters and commentators, the contrast between this historic victory and the painful racial controversies that have gripped Mississippi in 2026—including the fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley and the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells—underscores the deep tensions and ongoing fight for civil rights in a state where Black residents make up nearly 40% of the population.

Scott Colom's Senate victory represents a historic shift in federal representation for Mississippi. After 145 years, the silence has been broken.