# Mississippi elects first black senator since Reconstruction

> Democrat Scott Colom defeats Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in a closely contested race, marking a historic shift in a state long dominated by white conservative governance.
- Title: Mississippi elects first black senator since Reconstruction
- Summary: Democrat Scott Colom defeats Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in a closely contested race, marking a historic shift in a state long dominated by white…
- Keywords: scott colom, cindy hyde-smith, mississippi senate race, 2026 midterm elections, democrats, republicans, donald trump, reconstruction era, racial divisions, RFI
- Source: RFI — https://rfi.fr/en/international/20261112-mississippi-elects-democrat-scott-colom-as-first-black-senator-since-19th-century
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: scott colom, cindy hyde-smith, mississippi senate race, 2026 midterm elections, democrats, republicans, donald trump, reconstruction era, racial divisions, news, world
## Democrat wins Mississippi Senate seat
Scott Colom defeated Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith on Wednesday in Mississippi's closely contested United States Senate race after a prolonged ballot counting process.
## First black senator since Reconstruction
Colom's victory gives Mississippi its first black senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, a historic shift in a state dominated by white conservative governance for generations.
## Largest black population share
Mississippi has the largest black population share of any US state, yet has been governed by white conservatives for generations until Colom's election.
## Part of Trump midterm rebuke
Colom's narrow victory adds to a decisive midterm rebuke of President Donald Trump, whose party suffered defeats in several Republican-controlled states.
## Democrats' Southern strategy
The result strengthens the argument among some Democrats that their party's future runs through the American South.
## Colom's campaign message
The forty-three-year-old local prosecutor capitalised on Mississippi's large black population, discontent over the economy, and Hyde-Smith's missteps seeking a second full term.
## Colom's victory speech
At Tougaloo College, Colom told supporters he had the courage to imagine the night and to believe in Mississippi, saying the state matters to the country.

> All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this. I had the courage to believe in Mississippi.
## Hyde-Smith concedes defeat
Cindy Hyde-Smith, sixty-seven, called Colom late Wednesday afternoon to concede and released a concession speech online shortly afterwards.

> While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters.
## Colom pledges unity
Colom said he would represent all of Mississippi and repeated his pledge after victory, committing to treat every Mississippian's life better regardless of background.

> My commitment to you, each and every one of you, is that first I'm going to treat your children as I want my children to be treated.
## Key takeaway

Scott Colom won Mississippi's Senate race, becoming the state's first black senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and signalling a Democratic gain in Trump's midterm rebuke.