Mississippi Senate Race Stays Undecided With Scott Colom Ahead By 2,574 Votes As Republicans Move To Preserve Affidavit Ballots

The Mississippi Senate race is still uncalled, with Democrat Scott Colom leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 2,574 votes as of Monday, according to the Associated Press, while thousands of mail and affidavit ballots are still being processed. That lead is 0.28 percent of the ballots cast, with about 97 percent of the vote counted. On Election Day, Colom’s lead was 65 votes.

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said late last week that as many as 20,000 ballots of all kinds were still outstanding, including more than 3,000 mail ballots. An affidavit ballot is Mississippi’s version of a provisional ballot, cast when a voter’s eligibility or ID is in question and counted only after officials verify it. Colom’s campaign estimates that roughly 15,000 affidavit ballots were cast. Mail ballots had to be postmarked by Election Day and received by Tuesday, and county clerks must certify results by Friday, Nov. 13, which is also the window for processing affidavit ballots.

Both campaigns are claiming the remaining ballots will help them. Colom said on X that he is confident he will ultimately flip the seat. Hyde-Smith predicted she will win reelection, saying thousands of votes remain to be counted from dozens of Republican counties. Mississippi Republican Party chair Mike Hurst said he believes the outstanding ballots are largely in Republican leaning areas and that Hyde-Smith’s lawyers will be ready to use “every legal option” if the law was violated. Lawyers for Hyde-Smith have formally asked state officials to secure and preserve all affidavit ballots, according to reporting that cites the New York Times.

A request to preserve ballots keeps the physical ballots from being lost or altered, and it is often a first step before a lawsuit, but it does not by itself challenge any result. Mississippi has no recount law, so the winner will be whoever finishes with the most votes, which is called a plurality. If the margin stays this close, either campaign could challenge specific ballots in court, most likely after the Nov. 13 county certification, according to reporting by Yahoo News.

The Associated Press has not called the Mississippi Senate race. Official certification dates and final totals come from the Mississippi secretary of state’s office and county election officials, which are the places to confirm them.

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Dee Dee Henderson

Dee Dee Henderson is a Poli Alert journalist covering national politics, elections and the policies that hit closest to home for Black communities, from voting rights and the economy to the courts. She reports the facts first and isn't afraid to say what they mean, and her commentary pieces are clearly labeled as opinion. Her midterm coverage breaks down deadlines, ballot measures and the races that will decide who holds power in Washington.

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