Mississippi Senate: Scott Colom extends tight lead over Hyde-Smith as ballot deadlines hit - CNBC
Democratic candidate Scott Colom has expanded his lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate race as ballot counting nears completion. If successful, Colom would become the first Black senator from Mississippi since the Reconstruction Era.
Why it matters
This race represents a potential historic shift in Mississippi politics, a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in decades.
Democratic nominee Scott Colom on Wednesday significantly expanded his lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate election to more than 4,400 votes as the ballot count continued.
When the day began, Colom had a 2,990-vote lead over Hyde-Smith.
That spread ticked upward slowly until just after 2 p.m. ET when a surge of newly counted ballots boosted his tally by 607 votes, and then soon after by another 621 votes.
As of 2:30 p.m., Colom was ahead of Hyde-Smith by 4,404 votes, according to the Associated Press.
With an estimated 99% of the votes in, Colom led Hyde-Smith by 49.18% to 48.72%. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins had 2.1% of the vote.
Also covering this story
4 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race
Democrat Scott Colom becomes Mississippi's first Black senator since 1874
How Scott Colom defied Democratic doubters to make Mississippi a battleground
In Mississippi, voters await cliffhanger Senate result with hope and frustration
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