Scott Colom Challenges Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s November Senate Race
Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom is running as a Democrat against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s November 2026 midterm election. If he wins, he would become the state’s first Democratic senator since the 1980s and the first Black senator from Mississippi since the 1800s.
Mississippi Democrats have not won a statewide election since 2003. Every cycle since, the party has debated the same strategic question: does a Democrat run toward the national party or away from it?
Three Losing Strategies Produced Nearly Identical Results
The record across three recent campaigns is striking. Former Attorney General Jim Hood ran as a conservative Democrat with a hunting dog and a pickup truck. He lost to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in 2019 by 52% to 47%, a margin of about 45,000 votes.
Former Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley ran closer to the national party in 2023. He lost to Reeves by 51% to 48%, fewer than 27,000 votes.
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Espy ran as the most explicitly national Democrat of the three. He lost to Hyde-Smith in 2020 by 54% to 44%, in the highest-turnout election in state history.
27,000 Votes separating Presley from victory in 2023, the narrowest recent Democratic loss in a Mississippi statewide race.
Espy’s total vote count was the highest for a Mississippi Democrat since Bill Waller’s 1971 gubernatorial win. But in a high-turnout year, his percentage was lower than either Hood or Presley achieved in lower-turnout elections. The data do not clearly confirm that one strategic approach consistently outperforms the other.
A Third Candidate Complicates the Math
Colom cannot afford to lose Democratic voters to a third-party candidate. Independent Ty Pinkins, a former Democrat, is also in the race and could draw votes that Colom needs. With no Democratic senator from Mississippi in over four decades, every vote matters.
The central question Colom must answer is whether a pool of disengaged Democratic-leaning voters exists in Mississippi and, if so, whether he can bring them out. Presley lost by fewer than 27,000 votes. A targeted turnout operation, particularly in majority-Black districts, could shift that math.
What You Can Do Now
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Register to vote or verify your registration at Mississippi’s official voter portal at sos.ms.gov. Mississippi’s voter registration deadline is 30 days before Election Day in November 2026.
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Contact the Mississippi Democratic Party at (601) 969-2913 and ask how you can volunteer for voter registration drives in Hinds, Forrest, or Harrison counties, which had low Democratic turnout in 2023.
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Call Sen. Hyde-Smith’s office at (202) 224-5054 to go on record opposing any federal legislation she sponsors that restricts voting access. Hyde-Smith has voted against the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
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Find your county circuit clerk at sos.ms.gov/find-my-circuit-clerk to confirm polling locations and hours before Election Day, since Mississippi does not offer early in-person voting for most elections.
Sources
Mississippi Today: Mississippi Democrats Hope They Are Not Left Saying ‘If’ Again After Midterm Election Brennan Center for Justice: Voting Laws in Mississippi and Turnout Barriers Mississippi Secretary of State: Voter Registration and Election Information AP: Mike Espy 2020 Mississippi Senate Race Results Mississippi Today: Brandon Presley Loses 2023 Governor’s Race to Tate Reeves