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Politics

Colom Leads Hyde-Smith by 1,813 Votes as Mississippi Senate Race Remains Uncalled

Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,813 votes Thursday evening as Mississippi counties kept counting ballots in a Senate race that remains uncalled two days after Election Day.

By admin Nov. 5, 2026 · 8:43 PM ET 2 min read

The Mississippi State Capitol building in Jackson, a white domed stone building seen from the front lawn in late afternoon light

Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,813 votes Thursday evening in Mississippi’s still-uncalled U.S. Senate race, as counties continued to count ballots two days after polls closed.

The tally, reported by VoteHub at 5:39 p.m. ET from Associated Press figures, put Colom at 466,775 votes and Hyde-Smith at 464,962, with 99.83 percent of precincts reporting and about 95.7 percent of the expected vote counted. The Associated Press had not called the race.

Election workers seen from behind sorting and counting stacks of paper ballots at tables in an election office
Election workers seen from behind sorting and counting stacks of paper ballots at tables in an election office

Colom’s lead has grown through the week. He led by 28 votes on election night, 462,779 to 462,751, and by 43 votes on Wednesday morning. By Thursday afternoon the gap had widened to 1,724 votes, and in the hour before the 5:39 p.m. update Colom added 521 votes to Hyde-Smith’s 385 as seven counties reported more ballots: Franklin, Itawamba, Lafayette, Madison, Tallahatchie, Wayne and Webster.

Rows of empty voting booths with privacy screens and a ballot box on a table inside a polling place
Rows of empty voting booths with privacy screens and a ballot box on a table inside a polling place

Ballots still to count

The count could run into next week. Mississippi accepts mail ballots postmarked by Election Day until Nov. 10, and voters who cast affidavit ballots because they lacked photo identification have until the same day to show acceptable ID.

The Colom campaign has estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 affidavit ballots remain uncounted across the state, a figure that has not been independently confirmed. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins drew about 2.1 percent of the vote, far more than the gap between the two leaders.

Mississippi has no automatic recount for Senate races and no runoff, so the candidate who finishes ahead takes the seat. A recount can be sought through a judge, and a legal challenge remains possible.

A downtown street lined with brick buildings and parked cars, with a domed capitol building at the end of the street at dusk
A downtown street lined with brick buildings and parked cars, with a domed capitol building at the end of the street at dusk

The Mississippi contest is one of the last uncalled Senate races from Tuesday’s midterms, in which Democrats won back control of the chamber. Alaska’s Senate race also remains undecided, with Democrat Mary Peltola leading Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by 637 votes. Her campaign said Thursday it expects tens of thousands of outstanding early and absentee ballots to widen her lead.

Reporting based on coverage by the Associated Press and VoteHub.

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