Can a Black Democrat flip Mississippi's Senate seat? Scott Colom makes his case

Scott Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, is mounting a long-shot bid for the U.S. Senate in Mississippi, a state where white conservatives have held power for generations. His opponent, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, is seeking a second full term with the backing of former President Donald Trump.

Colom's background is unusual for a Democratic candidate in the Deep South. He grew up in Mississippi with a Republican father who campaigned for Ronald Reagan and was friends with the late Sen. Thad Cochran. But Colom is betting that his biography, combined with Mississippi's demographics and voter frustration over inflation, could create an opening.

"Mississippi matters," Colom said during a recent campaign swing. He is casting Hyde-Smith as a rubber stamp for Washington policies that have made life less affordable, pointing to tariffs and the Iran war. "Our junior senator has totally given away our voice," he said. "She's not worried about us at all."

Hyde-Smith's campaign dismissed the challenge. "No one believes in Scott Colom except for Scott Colom," said campaign manager Jake Monssen, who framed the challenger as a tool of national Democrats and billionaire donor George Soros.

Colom has drawn support from prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, who campaigned with him in Mississippi. "I can guarantee you one thing," Alsobrooks said. "I'm not the last."

Mississippi's electorate is more favorable to Democrats than other Southern states. Black voters make up about 37% of the state's population and roughly a third of the typical November electorate, the highest share in the nation. More than 90% of Black voters typically support Democrats, but they turn out at lower rates than white voters.

In 2018, Hyde-Smith won a special election runoff by 7 percentage points over Mike Espy, Mississippi's first Black congressman since Reconstruction. She won a rematch in 2020 by 10 points, though she trailed Trump's 16-point margin over Joe Biden. Three years later, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves won reelection by just 3 points.

State NAACP Executive Director Charles Taylor said registration and turnout efforts could draw 75,000 more Black voters, enough to close recent gaps. Colom's father, Wilbur Colom, a former Republican candidate, said his son could win by increasing the Black share of the electorate to 35% and winning about a quarter of white votes.

Colom mostly avoids discussing race or electoral math unless asked. "We've made a lot more progress than we get credit for," he said. He focuses instead on economics, criticizing Republicans for not expanding Medicaid and allowing health insurance premium subsidies to expire. He also notes that Mississippi farmers have been harmed by tariffs.

Hyde-Smith's campaign paints Colom as out of step with Mississippi values, accusing him of supporting policies on gender transition, taxes, and immigration that appeal to "socialist supporters" from the coasts.

Some voters remain skeptical. Steve Rogers, a 73-year-old Republican from Brandon, said he likes how Hyde-Smith votes and believes "any Democrat's wasting their time." But Democrat Judy Weiner, a 72-year-old poll worker, said Hyde-Smith has not established a reputation for helping rank-and-file Mississippians the way Cochran did.

Campaign finance reports show the race is competitive. Through June, Hyde-Smith had raised $3.8 million with $2.5 million in cash on hand, while Colom raised $2.8 million and had $850,000 remaining. Colom outpaced Hyde-Smith among individual contributors.

Colom acknowledged financial support from the Soros family but said no candidate controls outside political action committees. He pointed to his prosecution of a Democratic sheriff for sexual abuse of a prisoner as proof that partisanship doesn't guide him.

"Voters in Mississippi were promised America first," Colom said. "They were promised lower grocery prices, no more endless wars, concepts of a healthcare plan. We've been betrayed on all three fronts, and Cindy Hyde-Smith won't even do a town hall to justify any of it."