Mississippi Senate Race Comes Down to the Last Ballots as Colom Holds His Lead
Ballot deadlines have passed in the unexpectedly close race between Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom.
By SOPHIA REYESElections · Nov 11, 2:03 AM
MISSISSIPPI — Ballot deadlines have passed in Mississippi's unexpectedly close Senate race, and Democrat Scott Colom still holds his lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, The Washington Post reported.
Tuesday was the deadline for provisional ballots to be resolved and for mail-in absentee ballots to arrive, and Colom extended his tight lead as those ballots were counted, CNBC reported. Official results could come as soon as Friday, CBS News reported.
The New York Times reported that the tight race has highlighted how difficult the state's strict election laws can be for voters. An unusually high number of absentee and provisional ballots will decide the outcome, PBS reported, and Newsweek reported the race could hinge on affidavit ballots, which voters cast when there is a question about their eligibility at the polls.
Mississippi is one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. Hyde-Smith has held the seat since 2018, and Democrats have not won a Senate race in the state in decades. That a Democrat is ahead at all is a sign of how strong last week's wave was, even in the Deep South.
CBS News reported that Mississippi's race and Alaska's are the two Senate contests still uncalled a week…