Democrat Scott Colom flips Mississippi Senate seat in upset
Why it matters: The win gives Democrats a 55-44 Senate edge and leaves Donald Trump facing a Democratic Congress.
Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, a result that media outlets projected on Nov. 11 after one of the closest races left from the midterms. Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney, became the first Democrat to win a Mississippi Senate seat since 1982 and the state’s first Black senator since the Reconstruction era. Late vote tallies showed him ahead by more than 4,600 votes, or about 0.5 percentage point. The upset expanded Democrats’ gains from the Nov. 3 elections, pushing them to a 55-44 advantage in the Senate, with one Alaska race still unresolved. Republicans also lost control of the House, strengthening Democrats’ ability to block legislation and investigate the Trump administration.