Colom's 'bless her heart' reply
The gist
Scott Colom led Cindy Hyde-Smith by 43 votes out of more than 925,000 cast as of 3 a.m.
The uncalled Mississippi Senate race could hinge on thousands of outstanding affidavit ballots.
How it unfolded
- Nov 3, 2026Hyde-Smith spoke at an election night party, saying, "I blocked Scott Colom from being a federal judge and you blocked him from being a U.S. senator," and all but declared victory at her watch party.
- Nov 4, 2026As of 3 a.m. Wednesday, Colom led Hyde-Smith 462,821 to 462,778, a 43-vote margin out of more than 925,000 cast, with an estimated 95.6% of ballots tabulated; independent candidate Ty Pinkins had 19,935 votes.
- Nov 4, 2026At a 10 a.m. news conference in Jackson, Mississippi, Colom told supporters, "Where we are, where the ballots are, we're gonna win."