Democrat Scott Colom seals historic win in Mississippi Senate race

Dozens of people were gathered at the Mississippi HQ of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Jackson on Wednesday when Colom’s victory was announced.

The room burst into deafening applause and cheers.

“This is an amazing result,” said Leon Russell, chairman of the NAACP board.

“This is purely the work of particularly the black community,” he continued. “There was not a whole lot of money, but there was a whole lot of organising.

“This is a historic election.”

Across the room, filled with the sight of people slapping hands and exchanging, long warm embraces, Amber Thomas sat, revelling in the victory.

“When you fight, you win,” Thomas said. “Right now, I am overwhelmed with joy.”

Colom appeared to a ride a national wave of resentment against Republicans, with the party suffering several defeats during the midterm election in typically conservative strongholds like Texas, Kansas and Iowa.

Voter backlash against Trump’s Republican party has been driven in large part by economic woes, blamed on his administration’s tariffs and war with Iran, according to exit polls.

Colom, a local prosecutor, used the national mood to his advantage, highlighting his opponent’s support for Trump’s tariffs and giving her the nickname “Cindy High Prices”.

The Democrat campaigned aggressively, visiting all of Mississippi’s 82 counties.

Hyde-Smith’s campaign assailed Colom as a puppet of billionaire liberal donor George Soros, whose family has helped fund the Democrat’s political campaigns.

The Republican was criticised for a lack of public appearances.