Scott Kolom becomes first African-American senator from Mississippi in over 140 years

Historic Democrat victory in conservative state

More than a week after voting ended in the US midterm elections, it was officially announced that Democrat Scott Kolom would take a seat in the Senate from Mississippi. This state had been unequivocally dominated by conservative candidates for decades.

Kolom entered history as the first African-American Democrat elected to the Senate from Mississippi in over 140 years. For the Republican Party, this defeat marks another lost state.

Minimal margin in results

Scott Kolom's lead over his opponent, Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, amounted to just a few thousand votes, equating to approximately half a percent. The margin was so slim that US news networks were reluctant to project a winner until the very last moment.

Unexpected result for opponents

The defeat in Mississippi came as a genuine shock to representatives of the Republican Party. They had not anticipated failure, given that Donald Trump won the state in 2024 by a massive 22-percentage-point margin. Now, following the Senate turnover, Democrats control 55 seats.