Colom led Hyde-Smith by 2,607 votes as Mississippi ballot deadlines hit
What's next: Tuesday was the deadline for provisional ballot challenges and late-arriving absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day.
Democrat Scott Colom slightly widened his razor-thin lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's unresolved Senate race as key ballot deadlines arrived Tuesday. With 97% of the vote estimated counted, Colom led by 2,607 votes out of 953,547 cast, a margin of 0.27 percentage points, according to the Associated Press. Independent Ty Pinkins had 20,034 votes. Tuesday marked the cutoff for resolving affidavit and provisional ballots, as well as for receiving absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3. Mississippi is one of two states where a Senate contest remained uncalled, along with Alaska. Democrats have already flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats, securing at least a 54-seat majority in the chamber.