Democrat Scott Colom wins election to U.S. Senate from Mississippi

Democrat Scott Colom won election Wednesday to the U.S. Senate representing Mississippi, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Colom will be Mississippi’s first Black senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. Colom’s victory also offers Democrats an unexpected boost in their effort to win control of the Senate.

A local prosecutor, he waged an aggressive campaign to take advantage of a tough national environment for Republicans and the fact that Mississippi has a larger share of Black voters than any other state.

Hyde-Smith, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, was trying to win her second full term. She was first appointed to fill a vacancy and then won a 2018 special election.

The Associated Press declared Colom the winner at 5:58 p.m. EST.