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Democrat Scott Colom defeated incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s Senate race.

Colom’s victory gives Democrats a Senate seat and makes him the first Black person elected to represent Mississippi in the Senate since Reconstruction. Several outlets described the contest as close; Newsweek reported that the Associated Press called it with Colom ahead by 4,669 votes.

What the reports agree on

  • Scott Colom, a Democrat, defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race. Guardian World, Newsweek, France24, Al Jazeera and 4 more
  • Colom’s victory makes him the first Black person elected to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction. Guardian World, Newsweek, France24, Al Jazeera and 4 more
  • The race was close. Newsweek, Al Jazeera, France24, ABC News and 1 more

Where reports differ

  • Al Jazeera says Mississippi had not elected a Black senator since 1874; BBC Top Stories says the state had not seated a Black senator since 1875. Al Jazeera
  • Newsweek reports that Colom led by 4,669 votes when the Associated Press called the race in one summary, while another Newsweek summary gives his winning margin as 5,611 votes. Newsweek

Reported by one outlet

  • Newsweek lists DeSoto, Forrest, Grenada, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Madison, Winston and Yalobusha as counties that switched from Republican in 2020 to Democratic in 2026. Newsweek
  • About 1,000 people gathered at Tougaloo College in Jackson to celebrate Colom’s win. Guardian US

The original reports

Monday's biggest stories, one calm email.