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Pinkins boosted Colom, cut Hyde-Smith
CNBC • • nation
Key Points:
- Mississippi Senate candidate Ty Pinkins admitted he stayed in the 2026 race not to win but to spoil Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith's chances and help Democrat Scott Colom.
- Pinkins' strategy appears effective as Colom currently leads Hyde-Smith by a narrow margin of 1,936 votes, about 0.2%, with 96.2% of votes counted; Pinkins holds 2.1% of the vote, which exceeds that margin.
- Pinkins intentionally avoided campaigning in predominantly Black areas to not split the Black vote, instead drawing most of his support from low-Black-population counties, primarily pulling votes from Republicans.
- Previously the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee who lost decisively, Pinkins acknowledged in April he had little chance to win but decided to remain in the race after polling showed he was drawing significant Republican support.
- Pinkins said he attended very few campaign events and received encouragement from Republicans seeking an alternative to Hyde-Smith, underscoring his role as a spoiler rather than a serious contender.
