Just before 6 p.m., the Associated Press declared that Mississippi voters elected Democrat Scott Collum over incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith to become its new junior Senator.
With 99% of the vote tabulated, Colom beat Hyde-Smith by 0.5% (49.2% to 48.7%) giving him an edge of 4,669 votes. Hyde-Smith has conceded the race and congratulated Colom on his win.
By virtue of that tiny margin, Colom became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi since 1982 when John Stennis was elected to his seventh and final term. Mind you, during most of his 40 years in the Senate, Stennis was an ardent segregationist. One other point to consider about that 1982 re-election. It took place the month before Scott Colum was born.
To go further back in time, it is the first time an African American has represented Mississippi in the Senate in more than 150 years when Blanche Bruce served for six years between 1875 and 1881 towards the tail end of Reconstruction.
A few days back, I wrote that Hyde-Smith deserved the lose this election:
Cindy Hyde-Smith treated the Senate seat like it was her property and she was an absentee landlady. She did not take care of it much less the needs of the people of Mississippi. But a seat in the Senate isn't anyone's personal property. It belongs to the people who may see fit to take it away.
Just Hyde-Smith deserved to lose, Colom earned his victory. As Colom remarked during his victory speech a short time ago, "Faith without works is dead." And, Lord, did Colom put in the work. He managed to generate enthusiasm amongst Democratic voters while convincing a not insignificant number of white Republican voters that Mississippi matters and can do better with him representing them in the Senate. This is no easy feat. But Mississippians indeed picked another Senator who showed both humor when it came to proteins and historical humility with Medgar Evers.
There is also a certain measure of poetic justice in Colom's triumph. Under other circumstances, Colom would be serving on the federal bench. In 2022, President Biden nominated Colom to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Considering how dicey judicial appointments are, Colom received support from Republicans such as senior Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker as well as former Mississippi Republican Governors Haley Barbour and Phil Bryant. But Hyde-Smith was a different story. She opted to block Colom's nomination because of, well, trans folks participating in sports.
Had Hyde-Smith not engaged in such right-wing virtue signaling, she might still have her Senate seat. Although Colom did not make this an issue in his Senate campaign, I have no doubt there is a certain satisfaction he got in blocking her Senate career after she blocked his judicial nomination.
There is a lesson to be learned in choosing one's battles carefully. But Trumpism isn't circumspect. Everything is a fight. But if you sign up for every fight, you will not win all of them and risk losing the most important fight of all. Cindy Hyde-Smith found this out the hard way.
Of course, it remains to be seen what kind of Senator Scott Colom will be. He is no more entitled to the job than Hyde-Smith. Should Colom decide on a second term in 2032 (barring seeking higher office) then he is going to work every bit as hard to retain his seat in the Senate as he did to win it. As it should be.
For now, Scott Colom has earned his way into the U.S. Senate. Let's see if he can earn his keep and deepen the respect of Mississippi voters.
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