A Mississippi Democrat is unexpectedly threatening Republicans’ grip on the state
As Scott Colom challenges incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith for Senate, one of the country’s most reliably Republican states may be in play in the midterms On Tuesday, with just one week until the election, Scott Colom’s headquarters was buzzing. Volunteers arrived for phone-banking, while staffers prepared for another day of campaigning. Colom, a Democrat who is challenging incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith for US…
Key points
- Democrat Scott Colom is challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith for US Senate in Mississippi.
- Trump campaigned for Hyde-Smith in Corinth, which some see as a sign of Republican vulnerability.
- Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982 or a Black person since 1875.
Democrat Scott Colom is challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith for US Senate in Mississippi, a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982. The race has drawn national attention as Democrats have recently invested money and sent prominent figures to campaign for Colom.
On Tuesday, Trump campaigned for Hyde-Smith in Corinth, near the Tennessee border. He said he was there "because Cindy's doing great, but I just got to make sure. I can't take a chance." Governor Tate Reeves also spoke, calling it "the most important election of our lives."
National Democrats shift focus
In August, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee left Colom out of a $40m investment in battleground states. Since October, many national Democrats have campaigned across Mississippi for him. On 14 October, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock campaigned in Jackson and raised more than $500,000 for Colom's campaign committee, according to Politico.
Colom said national Democrats had "just basically conceded the state" and signaled indifference to loyal Black and white Democrats. "For too long, we weren't willing to challenge that. For me, I'm ready to challenge," he said.
For too long, Mississippi hasn't been a lost cause, it's been a betrayed cause.
— Scott Colom
Colom's background and challenges
Colom was elected the first Black district attorney for the 16th circuit in 2015, unseating a nearly 30-year incumbent. As district attorney, he had a 94% success rate for convictions. He is a seventh-generation Mississippian whose father was a longtime Republican.
Hyde-Smith has been a senator for eight years and has not sponsored any legislation during her tenure; she has co-sponsored 32 bills that became law. To win, Colom will need both Black voter turnout and about a quarter of the white vote. In 2018, Democrat Mike Espy lost a special election to Hyde-Smith by seven points.
