Mississippi Senate race hinges on up to 20,000 uncounted ballots
Why it matters: Democrat Scott Colom leads by about 2,500 votes, and a win would give Mississippi its first Democratic senator in nearly 40 years.
Mississippi's U.S. Senate race remained unresolved as county officials worked through thousands of absentee and provisional ballots that could still flip the result. Democrat Scott Colom held a lead of about 2,500 votes over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, according to the latest tally cited by the BBC. State officials estimated that between 12,000 and 20,000 affidavit ballots were cast, with roughly 15,500 processed by Tuesday morning. Mail ballots were due Tuesday, and counties must submit results to the secretary of state by Friday. If Colom prevails, he would become Mississippi's first Black senator in more than 140 years and the state's first Democratic senator in nearly four decades.