The Associated Press called the race in Colom's favor after local officials spent several days processing absentee and provisional ballots, called affidavit ballots in Mississippi.
The last time Mississippi chose a new Democratic senator was 1947; the winner was a staunch segregationist. Colom, a 43-year-old local prosecutor, capitalized on the state's large Black population, discontent with the economy and Hyde-Smith’s missteps as she sought a second full term.
“All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this,” Colom told a crowd of hundreds who gathered at Tougaloo College for his victory party. “I had the courage to believe in Mississippi. I had the courage to understand that we can show the country that Mississippi matters.”
“They actually deserve a senator that will listen to them, that actually cares about what they think, actually cares about what they’re going through,” Colom said in the campaign's closing stretch.
Hyde-Smith, 67, called Colom late Wednesday afternoon to concede and released a concession speech online shortly afterward.
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith said. “I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state.”
