Scott Colom leads Cindy Hyde-Smith

Key Points:

• Political science professor Brian Anderson expressed surprise at how close the Mississippi Senate race has become, noting that Democrat candidate Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, now has a real chance to win in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.
• If Colom defeats incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, he would become the first Black senator from Mississippi since the Reconstruction Era, potentially energizing the state's Democratic Party.
• Hyde-Smith's campaign remains confident, emphasizing ongoing ballot counts and warning of expected legal challenges from Democrats, while the Republican National Committee is actively fundraising to support monitoring of the vote count.
• The outcome may be influenced by a Supreme Court ruling, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, that allows counting mail-in ballots received up to five days after Election Day, which tends to favor Democratic candidates like Colom.
• Hyde-Smith has run a low-profile campaign focused on traditional values and declined multiple debates, while Colom has targeted voter concerns such as affordability, the Iran war, and corruption, including highlighting Hyde-Smith's controversial comment about rising beef prices.