Mississippi Senate: 43-vote gap separates Hyde-Smith and Colom
With 95.6% of ballots tallied, the race remains too close to call as the incumbent leads by fewer than one hundred votes.
By Ibrahim Howard ·
A margin of 43 votes separated the two major candidates in the Mississippi U.S. Senate race at 3 a.m. on Tuesday. Democrat Scott Colom held the lead with 462,821 votes. Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith trailed with 462,778 votes. Independent Ty Pinkins received 19,935 votes. Officials had counted 95.6% of the total ballots at that time.
Neither candidate claimed victory during their respective watch parties in Biloxi. Both stated they expected to hold the seat in the coming days. Hyde-Smith told supporters that her team had run a strong campaign. She noted that they were in a good lead but did not have all the votes in. "We are in a very good lead right now," Hyde-Smith said. "I assure you I will continue to be your U.S. Senator."
Colom addressed his own crowd with similar confidence. He said he believed the state would make a national impression. "I’m telling you, deep down in my soul, I believe we’re about to show the country Mississippi matters," Colom said. "We’re going to win."
The contest is a general congressional election. No runoff vote is scheduled. The candidate with the most votes will win the seat. The final result depends on the remaining ballots yet to be processed.
