Mississippi's Senate race reaches Tuesday cutoff for mailed and provisional ballots
Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 2,500 votes, and her campaign says the election is not over.
Mississippi's U.S. race between Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith was still undecided about a week after Election Day. The Associated Press unofficial count on Monday put Colom ahead by 2,574 votes. Tuesday, Nov. 10, is the cutoff for resolving provisional ballots, called affidavit ballots in Mississippi, and for receiving absentee postmarked by Election Day.
Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican, said in a Monday post that 14,239 affidavit ballots had been processed, with roughly 77% accepted, and 2,732 absentee ballots were still out. All 82 must send certified results to his office by Friday, Nov. 13. Mississippi has no automatic recount.
A candidate who wants to contest the result would have to sue, most likely after certification. Hyde-Smith's campaign says she is "not backing down" and the election is not over. Colom's campaign manager says the campaign is confident Colom will win once every lawful vote is counted.
Hyde-Smith told reporters in the Capitol on Monday that votes are still being counted. Newsweek reports Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982.
- 2,574-vote leadColom's margin over Hyde-Smith Monday, per the Associated PressThe Daily Signal
- 14,239 affidavit ballotsprocessed so far, per Secretary of State WatsonThe Daily Signal
- 2,732 absentee mail in ballotsstill out Monday, per WatsonThe Daily Signal
- 75 of 82 countieswith unofficial results uploaded, per WatsonThe Daily Signal
- 49.1 percentColom's vote share, against 48.8 percent for Hyde-Smith, as of Monday morningNewsweek
Three sides of the story
37 news outlets reported this
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Liberal18 outlets
Hyde-Smith's low profile as Colom's lead holds
Yahoo News, running a CNN report, leads with Hyde-Smith staying out of view while Colom held "at least eight events" since Election Day. Colom asks reporters, "Where is Cindy Hyde-Smith?" Her campaign manager Jake Monssen says the team is working to "protect the integrity of this election."
The report notes she repeatedly declined to answer reporters' hallway questions on Monday and said, "We're still counting votes." A Brookhaven voter says he wanted to see more campaigning from her, and the piece describes Republicans in strongholds who did not work to get ahead of the national political landscape as having been "caught flatfooted." It adds that a Colom win would make him Mississippi's first Democratic senator in nearly four decades.
The Philadelphia Inquirer headlines the ballot deadline. It reports Colom up 2,574 votes, no automatic recount, and any challenge most likely after Friday's certification. It says the largest share of outstanding votes is in Hinds County, a "blue stronghold," with more in Holmes County, and that "the trends have been in Colom's favor."
It notes Hyde-Smith "has kept a low profile" while Colom staged a virtual rally with Stacey Abrams.
Center9 outlets
Certification deadline, no recount, and what comes next
Newsweek leads with Friday's deadline for counties to certify. It reports just over 97 percent of votes tallied, Colom at 49.1 percent and Hyde-Smith at 48.8. It adds that Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982, and that its last Black senator, Blanche Bruce, served from 1875 to 1881.
Newsweek explains there is no recount procedure, so a candidate could instead challenge ballots in court, and the dispute could reach the U.S. Senate. Vanderbilt's John Geer says the race is "likely to be called by AP and others by Friday" and a challenge "would likely be an uphill legal battle." Maryville College's Mark O'Gorman says the late ballots are legitimate under state law.
Newsweek quotes both campaigns' posts on X and says both candidates remain determined. Forbes features NAACP President Derrick Johnson on "Forbes Newsroom," covering the group's push to have every eligible ballot tallied and the issues weighing on him as certification nears.
Conservative10 outlets
Watson's ballot numbers and a possible upset
The Daily Wire frames the count as a wait on a "potential upset." It relays Watson's Monday-evening update of about 2,578 outstanding absentee ballots and 15,547 affidavit ballots processed at a roughly 76% acceptance rate, and notes acceptance rates of 70-75% in the last two election cycles. It quotes Colom campaign manager Gerard Henderson on confidence and Hyde-Smith's "I don't do hallway interviews."
Sen. Roger Wicker says she "has a chance." The Daily Signal leads with the number of affidavit ballots exceeding the margin and quotes Watson's X post in full. It notes the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Hyde-Smith's campaign attorneys sent a letter to 82 county election officials demanding affidavit ballots be kept apart and preserved.
It also quotes Hyde-Smith's "We are not backing down" post. It closes with Colom's complaint on X about "prognosticators" who rated him and other Southern Democrats solid Republican.
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Mississippi voters who cast provisional ballots because of identification problems have until Tuesday, Nov. 10, to resolve the issue for their ballots to count, according to Newsweek. Mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and can arrive up to five business days later. Counties then certify results by Friday, Nov. 13.
All sources: 64 articles from 37 outlets
Liberal (35)
- ABC News: Democrat Colom flips Mississippi Senate seat
- Al Jazeera English: Democrat Scott Colom wins closely watched US Senate race in Mississippi
- Axios: Scott Colom ousts Cindy Hyde-Smith in historic Mississippi Senate flip
- CBS News: Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race in upset
- MS NOW: Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race in major victory for Democrats
- MS NOW: MS NOW rates Mississippi Senate race as ‘leans Democratic’ after key ballot deadline
- MS NOW: The pollsters who ‘nailed’ 2024 just whiffed on 2026 (opinion)
- MS NOW: Scott Colom says Democrats must rethink strategy in the South
- NBC News: Democrat wins Mississippi Senate race
- NBC News: Democrat Scott Colom projected to win Mississippi Senate seat
- NBC News: Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate seat, breaking GOP’s grip on the state
- NBC News: How soon could Mississippi's Senate race be decided?
- NPR: Democrat Scott Colom wins the closest Senate race in the country
- NPR: Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race
- PBS NewsHour: News Wrap: Democrat Scott Colom defeats Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith
- PBS NewsHour: Scott Colom wins Senate election in Mississippi
- Politico: Mississippi elects Democrat Scott Colom to Senate in massive upset
- The Boston Globe: Democrat Scott Colom will defeat incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, AP projects
- The Daily Beast: Democrats Finally Score Most Stunning Election Upset of All
- The Guardian: Democrat Scott Colom unseats Cindy Hyde-Smith in stunning Mississippi Senate win
- The Guardian: How Scott Colom won deep-red Mississippi with little help from Democrats
- The Independent: Mississippi elects its first Black senator in 150 years giving Democrats a 55-seat majority
- The New Republic: Democrats Win Mississippi Senate Seat as Blue Wave Comes for Everyone
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: Mississippi elects Democrat Scott Colom as state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: Mississippi Senate ballot deadline looms, as Democrat’s lead remains steady
- Time: Scott Colom Wins Nail-Biter Mississippi Race, Becoming State's First Democratic Senator-Elect Since 1982
- Yahoo News: Democrat Scott Colom flips Mississippi Senate seat in a historic upset
- Yahoo News: Democrat Scott Colom's lead grows in Mississippi Senate race with certification days away
- Yahoo News: In a nail-biter Senate race, incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith stays out of view in Mississippi
Center (16)
- BBC News: Democrat Scott Colom seals historic win in Mississippi Senate race
- BBC News: Watch: BBC talks to Mississippi voters awaiting Senate result
- Deutsche Welle: Democrat Colom wins Mississippi Senate seat
- Forbes: NAACP President Lays Out Major Concerns As Deadline Nears For Mississippi Senate Race Certification
- NewsNation: Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate seat
- Newsweek: Scott Colom Makes History With Mississippi Senate Win
- Newsweek: Who Is Mississippi Senate Candidate Scott Colom's Wife, Nadia?
- Newsweek: Colom vs. Hyde-Smith: Mississippi Senate Race Update as Key Deadline Nears
- Roll Call: Scott Colom elected Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction
- The Hill: Mississippi Senate stunner: Cindy Hyde-Smith concedes to Democrat Scott Colom
- The Hill: Colom builds on slim lead in Mississippi, as AP calls for Democrat
- The Hill: Colom extends slim lead over Hyde-Smith in Mississippi Senate race
- The Hill: Hyde-Smith 'feeling very optimistic' despite trailing in Mississippi vote count
- The Seattle Times: Why AP called the Mississippi Senate race for Scott Colom
- The Seattle Times: Mississippi elects Democrat Scott Colom as state’s first Black US senator since Reconstruction
- The Wall Street Journal: Democrat Scott Colom is the first Black senator from Mississippi since the Reconstruction era
Conservative (13)
- Fox News: Dems projected to score historic upset in deep-red Mississippi, topple Trump ally Hyde-Smith
- Just the News: Scott Colom declared winner of Mississippi Senate seat
- New York Post: Dem Scott Colom defeats Mississippi Sen. Hyde-Smith after weeklong nailbiter
- RedState: Democrat Scott Colom Is the Projected Winner in Mississippi Senate Race, Cindy Hyde-Smith Concedes
- The Center Square: Colom flips Mississippi Senate, Dems win 55 seats
- The Daily Signal: Mississippi Senate Race Hangs on Thousands of Affidavit Ballots
- The Daily Wire: Democrat Scott Colom Flips Mississippi Senate Seat In Historic Upset
- The Daily Wire: Mississippi Gives Ballot Update One Week After Election As Voters Wait On Potential Upset
- The Post Millennial: BREAKING: Dem Scott Colom unseats GOP Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi
- The Washington Times: Democrat wins Mississippi Senate seat in upset defeat of GOP incumbent Hyde-Smith
- The Washington Times: Mississippi elects Democrat Scott Colom as state's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction
- The Washington Times: Mississippi Senate race winner still undetermined as ballot deadlines arrive
- Washington Examiner: Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race in historic upset
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