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Colom Leads Hyde-Smith by 1,813 Votes in Razor-Thin Mississippi Senate Race
Colom leads Hyde-Smith by 1,813 votes in tight Mississippi Senate race
Key points
- Colom had 49.04% of counted ballots to Hyde-Smith's 48.85%, with an estimated more than 95% of votes in, according to the AP.
- Hyde-Smith's campaign asked counties in all 82 Mississippi counties to separate provisional ballots from regular and absentee ballots.
- Mississippi has no automatic recount provision, and more ballots can still arrive and be counted before a final result.
Why it matters. The result could decide a seat in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, and the campaign's ballot demands could set up a legal battle.
Democratic challenger Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,813 votes on Thursday, with 951,744 votes counted, the Associated Press said. Hyde-Smith's campaign told county officials in all 82 Mississippi counties to separate provisional ballots, and Colom's lawyers said the move was unlawful and extraordinary. A final result may not come until next week, and Mississippi has no automatic recount provision.
Latest updates
Colom Leads Hyde-Smith by 1,813 Votes in Razor-Thin Mississippi Senate Race
Democratic challenger Scott Colom held a lead of 1,813 votes over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate race as of Thursday. The margin is razor-thin, and the outcome may depend on mail-in ballots that arrived after Election Day. The Supreme Court has upheld the legality of counting those ballots, which has shaped the dispute. Hyde-Smith's campaign has begun laying the groundwork for a legal challenge over ballot counting. The result would be a significant upset in a midterm cycle that has already seen several Republican defeats. Final results and any court action will determine the winner.