In Mississippi, voters await cliffhanger Senate result with hope and frustration - BBC

Mississippi is currently awaiting the final results of a tight US Senate race between Democrat Scott Colom and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Thousands of uncounted affidavit and mail-in ballots remain, which could determine the outcome of the election.
Why it matters
The result could end a decades-long Republican winning streak in Mississippi and impact the balance of power in the US Senate.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Brandon Drenon Mississippi Watch: BBC talks to Mississippi voters awaiting the Senate result Mississippi's nailbiting wait to find out who won the southern state's US Senate race is nearly over, a week after the midterm elections - and the contest could deliver the state its first Democratic senator in nearly four decades.
Scott Colom, the Democrat, holds a lead of about 2,500 ballots - less than 1% - over his Republican opponent, the incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, according to the latest tally.
If he wins, Colom would become the Magnolia State's first black senator in over 140 years.
He would also pad the Democratic Senate majority-elect to 55 seats, with a knife-edge race in Alaska still to be called.
The Democrat's razor-thin advantage has defied political gravity in a conservative fortress that President Donald Trump won in 2024 by over 22 points.
Also covering this story
7 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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Democrat Scott Colom becomes Mississippi's first Black senator since 1874
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Scott Colom Wins Mississippi, Becomes State's 1st Black Senator Since 1874
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Mississippi Senate: Scott Colom extends tight lead over Hyde-Smith as ballot deadlines hit - CNBC
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