# Mississippi Senate race hangs on thousands of uncounted ballots

> Scott Colom's razor-thin lead over incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith could deliver Mississippi its first Democratic senator in nearly four decades, but thousands of ballots remain to be counted.
- Title: Mississippi Senate race hangs on thousands of uncounted…
- Summary: Scott Colom's razor-thin lead over incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith could deliver Mississippi its first Democratic senator in nearly four decades, but thousands of…
- Keywords: scott colom, cindy hyde-smith, mississippi senate race, democratic party, republican party, affidavit ballots, jackson state university, brookhaven, donald trump, BBC News
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6ly0y8r54pqo
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: scott colom, cindy hyde-smith, mississippi senate race, democratic party, republican party, affidavit ballots, jackson state university, brookhaven, donald trump, news, world
## Colom leads by twenty-five hundred votes
Democrat Scott Colom holds a lead of about two thousand five hundred ballots, less than one percent, over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's Senate race.
## First black senator in one hundred forty years
If Colom wins, he would become Mississippi's first black senator in over one hundred forty years and pad the Democratic Senate majority-elect to fifty-five seats.
## Thousands of ballots still uncounted
State officials estimate between twelve thousand and twenty thousand affidavit ballots were cast. As of Tuesday morning, roughly fifteen thousand five hundred had been processed.
## Affidavit ballots explained
Affidavit ballots were not immediately accepted because of a discrepancy such as lacking proper ID on election day. Voters fill out a provisional ballot and return to resolve the issue.
## Young voters see historic opportunity
At Jackson State University, a historically black college, first-time voters spoke of their excitement at the possibility of Mississippi turning blue.

> I really feel like a change is what we need.
## Trump voters blame broken promises
In Brookhaven, where Trump won seventy-two percent of votes two years ago, Trump supporter Keith Scott said the president had not delivered during his second term, driving the unexpectedly close race.

> Trump and his administration did not hold up what they ran on. Bottom line.
## Cost of living fuels voter frustration
Voters in Brookhaven cited high gas and grocery prices as reasons for dissatisfaction. Lifelong Republican Lee Barry said high prices hurt Hyde-Smith and that she should have campaigned more.

> The price on gas is really high, so that cuts into your pocket.
## Colom's campaign strategy
Local prosecutor Colom highlighted Hyde-Smith's support for Trump's tariffs, giving her the nickname Cindy High Prices. He campaigned aggressively, visiting all of Mississippi's eighty-two counties.
## Black voters shift further left
Early exit polls show Mississippi's black voters, who historically vote Democrat, drifted even further to the left this year, giving Democrats ninety-one percent of their votes.
## Key takeaway

Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by about twenty-five hundred ballots in Mississippi's Senate race, with between twelve thousand and twenty thousand affidavit ballots still uncounted before Friday's certification deadline.