Scott Colom flips county named for KKK founder
The gist
Democrat Scott Colom won Mississippi's Forrest County, leading Cindy Hyde-Smith 54%-44% there with 97% counted.
The county is named for KKK founder Nathan Bedford Forrest, giving the win symbolism.
How it unfolded
- 2020A countywide vote to remove a Confederate monument outside the Forrest County Courthouse in Hattiesburg failed 51% to 49%, though about 85% of voters in the college town voted to remove it.
- 2024Donald Trump carried Forrest County 58%-40%.
- Nov 3, 2026The general election was held; Scott Colom won a majority of votes in Forrest County.
Key terms
- KKK
- American far-right hate group advocating White supremacy, known for intimidation and violence across three historical waves.
- Confederate general
- A senior military officer in the land force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.
- Reconstruction
- The period after the American Civil War when the former Confederate states were reintegrated and slavery's aftermath addressed.
Source: Wikipedia