Mississippi Senate election: Who won? Scott Colom vs Cindy Hyde-Smith suspense continues despite 96% votes counted

The Mississippi Senate race between Democratic candidate Scott Colom and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith remains extremely close, with the two candidates separated by just around 40 votes as nearly 96% of ballots have been counted. Nearly 1 million ballots have been cast in the closely watched election. The Mississippi Free Press reported that the difference between the candidates had narrowed to just 28 votes in the early hours of November 4, 2026.

If Colom wins, he would become Mississippi's first Black US senator since the Reconstruction era, the 12-year period following the Civil War during which the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were adopted. He would also become the state's first new Democratic senator since the 1940s.

Colom expressed confidence in his campaign's performance while addressing supporters in downtown Jackson at around 11 pm on Tuesday. "I'm excited about our momentum," Colom told supporters. "We're trending in counties that people thought we had no chance of competing in – and we're winning in them!"


Hyde-Smith also addressed supporters who gathered at the Sheraton in Flowood. "I blocked Scott Colom from being a federal judge," Hyde-Smith was quoted as saying by Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB). "And you blocked him from being a US Senator."

"It has been such an amazing, amazing path and I think we've run a very good campaign," she added.

When will Mississippi Senate election results be declared?

The Mississippi US Senate election was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls opened at 7 am local time and closed at 7 pm Central Time (8 pm Eastern Time).

Vote counting began after the polls closed. However, there is no fixed time for declaring the final results. With the margin between Colom and Hyde-Smith so narrow, election officials may need additional time to complete the count.

Mississippi election laws require only a simple plurality to win a general election for federal office. This means the candidate who receives the most votes wins, without the need for a runoff.

As counting continued, local election officials indicated that a complete tally might not be available until the following morning. The final count also needs to account for outstanding affidavit ballots, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the outcome.

The Mississippi Secretary of State's office reported receiving 116,453 absentee ballots, a significant increase from the previous midterm election in 2022.

How long does Mississippi take to count election votes?

The time required to count votes can vary depending on the number of outstanding ballots and the closeness of a contest.

According to PBS, the Associated Press began reporting Mississippi election results around 20 minutes after polls closed on November 5, 2024. About half of the votes had been counted by 9:06 pm Central Time that evening. By 8:49 am Central Time on November 8, approximately 90% of the votes had been counted.

While some election races can be called on election night, closely contested races may take longer. In the Mississippi Senate contest, the extremely narrow margin means the winner may not be known until election officials complete the outstanding ballot count.

The unofficial results will be followed by the state's official canvassing and certification process.