Edition · Thu 05 Nov 2026
Politics Desk
Every Ballot Counts in Mississippi: A Senate Race Decided by Dozens of Votes, and No Recount Law
Democrat Scott Colom and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith are separated by a sliver of the vote, with about 15,000 provisional ballots still to be vetted. Alaska's Senate race is also uncalled, leaving the final size of the Democratic majority unknown.
By Rachel · Edited by Chanan Zevin - Chief Editor and Head of Desks
Published
The nail-biter of the midterms
Democrats have already clinched control of Congress, but the full scale of their victory is still unknown. Two Senate races, in Mississippi and Alaska, remained uncalled on Thursday as election officials kept counting.
The nail-biter of the midterms
In Mississippi, a state Mr. Trump won by 23 points two years ago, Democrat Scott Colom was just a few dozen votes ahead of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith as of Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday, he had pulled further ahead. The race could come down to roughly 15,000 provisional ballots, according to Mr. Colom's campaign, which are still being verified.
No recount, and a legal fight
Mississippi does not allow recounts in statewide elections, which raises the stakes of the vetting process. Provisional ballots, known locally as affidavit ballots, are cast for reasons such as a missing photo ID or a voter not appearing in the poll book. Voter advocates expect many to come from people marked inactive by a commercial credit data program the state used for the first time this year to clean its rolls. Some voters will need to take action to cure their ballots.
No recount, and a legal fight
Election officials are also counting mail ballots that arrive within a five-day grace period. Advocates expect it could take until next week at the earliest to know how many provisional ballots will count. Both campaigns are preparing for a legal showdown.
Both sides confident
"Once the process plays out, where we are, where the ballots are, we're gonna win," Mr. Colom said on Wednesday. Ms. Hyde-Smith's campaign manager, Jake Monssen, said the team was "closely monitoring" the outstanding ballots and was confident that "when every legally cast vote is fully and accurately counted, Mississippians will have reelected Cindy Hyde-Smith."
Both sides confident
Mr. Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, is trying to become the first Black senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction. Black voters made up about 30 percent of the electorate in the race, according to exit polling, and nearly all of them backed him. The NAACP said it registered more than 17,000 voters this year.
A personal history
The contest has a personal edge. In 2023, Ms. Hyde-Smith blocked Mr. Colom's nomination to a federal judgeship, even though he had the backing of other Republicans, including the state's senior senator, Roger Wicker. "I'm a Christian. I forgive her," Mr. Colom said. His campaign ran some of the most talked-about ads of the year, including one mocking the senator for saying there were "so many proteins to choose from" when asked about rising beef prices.
A personal history
Mr. Trump flew in for a late rally to boost Republican turnout. Whatever the outcome, the fact that Mississippi is close at all says much about the scale of this year's shift toward Democrats.