# Mississippi Senate race tightens as ballots are counted

> With 96% of votes counted, Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just over 1,000 votes in a race that could make history.
- Title: Mississippi Senate race tightens as ballots are counted
- Summary: With 96% of votes counted, Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just over 1,000 votes in a race that could make history.
- Keywords: scott colom, cindy hyde-smith, mississippi senate race, ballot counting, us senate, 2026 midterm elections, BBC News
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cmj477d0dyxqo
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: scott colom, cindy hyde-smith, mississippi senate race, ballot counting, us senate, 2026 midterm elections, news, world
## Colom leads Hyde-Smith in tight race
With ninety-six percent of votes counted as of Thursday morning, Democrat Scott Colom was leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just over one thousand votes.
## Historic potential for Mississippi
If Colom wins the race, he would be the first black US senator elected in Mississippi since eighteen seventy-five.
## Deadline set for final count
Officials say all ballots must be counted by November thirteen, with the BBC's Carl Nasman documenting the counting process inside a county election commission building.
## Key takeaway

Scott Colom leads Cindy Hyde-Smith by over one thousand votes with ninety-six percent counted; if he wins, he would be Mississippi's first black US senator since eighteen seventy-five.