Democrat Scott
Colom serves as district attorney for four counties along the Mississippi-Alabama border and previously was nominated for a federal district judgeship. His election makes him Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator elected since the Reconstruction era in the 1870s.
Addressing supporters in Jackson on Wednesday night, Colom connected his projected win to Mississippi's long history of racial injustice and civil rights activism. He also emphasized his intention to serve residents across the state.
Colom invoked Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first Black U.S. senator in American history, as well as civil rights icon Medgar Evers. Both men were from Mississippi.
"God didn't want us to get it the easy way. He wanted us to get it ... the Mississippi way," Colom said, describing the effort behind his campaign and promising to work on behalf of every Mississippian.
"My commitment to you, each and every one of you, is that first: I'm going to treat your children like I want my children to be treated," he said. "I'm going to treat your parents the way I want my parents to be treated. I'm gonna treat your future the way I want my future to be."
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Hyde-Smith called Colom earlier Wednesday to concede, a campaign spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
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Once viewed as a long shot, Colom gained momentum during the final months of the campaign. He appeared alongside prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris. He also drew national attention with a campaign video mocking Hyde-Smith over remarks she made about turning to alternative proteins as beef prices rose.
Hyde-Smith, seeking her second full term, campaigned with President Donald Trump at an October rally and argued that she remained the best choice to represent Mississippi.
The two candidates had crossed paths before the Senate contest. Hyde-Smith blocked Colom's nomination to become a federal judge in 2023, though Colom has said he forgave her for the decision.
In an interview with ABC News after Election Day, Colom said his campaign received little national attention or financial support until roughly a month before voting. Some Democrats, he said, could not imagine the party flipping a Senate seat in the Magnolia State.
That lack of support pushed him to build a statewide grassroots operation, taking him into communities across Mississippi and putting him directly in front of voters. Colom said many voters responded to his message because they were frustrated by what they saw as broken promises from Washington.
"The voters were betrayed. That gave us an opportunity to compete everywhere. And for me, I wasn't afraid to call that out, and I wasn't also afraid to say what I was going to do," he said.