Democratic district attorney Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 1,100 votes in Mississippi’s uncalled U.S. Senate race, with roughly 96% of votes counted. The Associated Press had not declared a winner. A Colom victory would expand the Senate majority Democrats have already secured through other races [theguardian.com][time.com][cbsnews.com]. Ballots still to be counted include affidavit ballots, which voters may cast when election workers cannot immediately verify their eligibility, and mail ballots postmarked by Election Day. Mississippi allows five business days after the election for qualifying mail ballots to arrive and for some voters to provide documents needed to validate affidavit ballots. The deadline is Nov. 10. The state has no automatic recount provision, and the count could take several more days [tri-cityherald.com][talkingpointsmemo.com][nytimes.com]. Colom campaigned on cost-of-living and health care concerns in a state President Donald Trump won by nearly 23 percentage points in 2024. His campaign highlighted Hyde-Smith’s answer to a question about high beef prices: “You have so many proteins to choose from.” If Colom wins, he would be the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi since 1982 [cbsnews.com][time.com][n1info.ba]. Highlights: • Outstanding ballots: Colom’s campaign estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 affidavit ballots remained to be counted. Mississippi used a commercial credit-data program to flag voter registrations for the first time this cycle, and advocates expect some affected voters’ ballots to be among those under review [krdo.com][talkingpointsmemo.com] • County totals: A Wednesday tally showed about 9,000 uncounted votes in Hinds County, where Colom led by more than 61 points, and roughly 6,000 in Rankin County, where Hyde-Smith led by more than 25 points [talkingpointsmemo.com] • Turnout effort: The Mississippi NAACP said it registered more than 17,000 voters this year and helped establish 11 registration sites. Black voters accounted for about 30% of ballots cast and overwhelmingly backed Colom, according to a CNN voter poll [krdo.com] • Third candidate: Independent Ty Pinkins received 19,934 votes, or about 2.1% of the count reported by the Associated Press [n1info.ba][klix.ba] • No runoff: In Mississippi, the candidate with the most votes wins a Senate general election; a majority is not required [talkingpointsmemo.com] Perspectives: Scott Colom, Democratic Senate candidate: Colom said he was not running in retaliation for Hyde-Smith’s decision to block his federal judgeship nomination. He said he had forgiven her and argued that she had failed her constituents in the Senate [krdo.com]. (CNN via KRDO) Cindy Hyde-Smith campaign: Campaign manager Jake Monssen said the campaign was monitoring the remaining ballots and expected Hyde-Smith to win once every legally cast vote had been accurately counted [krdo.com][tri-cityherald.com]. (The Tri-City Herald) Derek Muller, Notre Dame law professor: Muller said a losing candidate could challenge decisions to include or exclude particular ballots under state or federal law but would need an identifiable legal theory. A recount itself requires a court order [talkingpointsmemo.com]. (Talking Points Memo) "The results are all trending in our direction." — Scott Colom, Democratic Senate candidate and district attorney Sources: • Mississippi Senate race is toss-up, with razor-thin margin - cbsnews.com • How the Mississippi Senate Race Became a Nail-Biter - time.com • How Mississippi became an unlikely Senate battleground - reddit.com • Is Mississippi Really About to Elect a Democratic Senator? - rollingstone.com • Everything We Know About What’s Next in Mississippi - talkingpointsmemo.com • Dem expands lead in Mississippi Senate race amid Trump humiliation - reddit.com • NBC’s Kornacki floored as he reveals Mississippi Dem 'could actually win' - alternet.org • Mississippi’s Senate Race Is Close. The State Has No Vote Recount Law. - nytimes.com • Colom Looking More and More Likely In Mississippi - talkingpointsmemo.com • When will Mississippi's US Senate race be called? Here are the latest numbers - kare11.com • Mississippi Senate race too close to call - fox21news.com • Mississippi - farking MISSISSIPPI - senate race is too close to call the morning after the election [Giggity] - fark.com • Mississippi Senate race turns into a nail-biter - krdo.com • US midterm elections 2026 live: Democrats eye historic upset in Mississippi Senate race as Republican blame game begins - theguardian.com • Šok i u tradicionalno republikanskom Mississippiju: Scott Colom blizu pobjede koja nije ostvarena 44 godine - klix.ba • Republican blame game begins as Democrat’s Mississippi lead grows – as it happened - theguardian.com • Democraat loopt steeds verder uit op Republikeinse tegenstander in spannende Senaatsrace Mississippi - destentor.nl • Liveanalyysi | Nämä vaalit tiivistyvät Mississippin mahalaskuun - hs.fi • Veliko iznenađenje u republikanskom Mississippiju: Demokrata Scott Colom nadomak pobjede koja se čekala 44 godine - n1info.ba • Două curse pentru Senatul SUA încă rămân incerte / Diferența dintre candidați este de numai 0,1% în Mississippi și Alaska - g4media.ro • LIVE Midterms VS | Democraat loopt steeds verder uit op Republikeinse tegenstander in spannende Senaatsrace Mississippi - tubantia.nl • Mississippi Senate race still too close to call with 95% of ballots counted - cbsnews.com • Yhdysvalloissa senaattorivaalit yhä vailla ratkaisua Mississippissä ja Alaskassa - suomenmaa.fi • What’s next in deadlocked U.S. Senate race between Cindy Hyde-Smith, Scott Colom - tri-cityherald.com • Habia përfshin edhe Misisipin tradicionalisht republikan: Scott Colom është pranë një fitoreje që nuk është parë prej 44 vitesh - gazetaexpress.com • Two Senate seats still hang in the balance after Democrats' victories overnight - thejournal.ie • ZEMLJOTRES U TRUMPOVOM UTVRĐENJU: Demokrata na pragu historijske pobjede nakon 44 godine, republikanci u šoku! - slobodna-bosna.ba • Alaska and Mississippi Senate Races: What We Know About Vote Counts and Result Timing - nytimes.com --- 📰 Story aggregated by Kagi News