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Scott Colom, a 43-year-old prosecutor, is emerging as a potential new Democratic star as he edges closer to a stunning victory in the US Senate race in deeply conservative Mississippi.
Colom, a Black father of two, was not even born the last time Democrats won a Senate seat in the state, in 1982. The last African American senator elected from Mississippi was in 1874.
With 96 per cent of the votes counted, Colom was leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just over 1,000 votes.
“I’m confident that once the process lays out, where we are, where the (outstanding) ballots are, we’re going to win,” he told cheering supporters on Wednesday in the state capital, Jackson.
A victory over Hyde-Smith, who has served in the Senate since 2018, would further highlight the strength of the so-called blue wave that has given Democrats majorities in both chambers of the US Congress.
Democrats have already captured seven Senate seats from Republicans, including in traditionally conservative states such as Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. Democratic victories in Mississippi and Alaska, where Senate results are also pending, could increase the total to nine.
Six generations in Mississippi
Colom traces his family roots in Mississippi back six generations. His mother broke racial barriers as a judge, while his father was a Republican lawyer who once worked for former president Ronald Reagan.
Given Mississippi’s history of slavery and racial segregation, Colom, a devout Christian, has frequently faced questions about the significance of becoming a trailblazing Black politician in the state.
“My point of view is I don’t want to be the last,” he said, referring to the possibility of becoming Mississippi’s first Black senator in more than 150 years, following Blanche Bruce, a former slave.
“I don’t want anybody to say that I did anything to hurt the next person that has the talent, the work ethic, the ability to be able to reach for their dream,” he added.
Colom was elected as a local prosecutor in 2015. During the campaign, he highlighted his law enforcement experience and focused on voters’ concerns over the rising cost of living.
He had spent months urging Democratic leaders to invest more resources in the race, arguing that the contest was winnable as opinion polls showed him closing the gap with Hyde-Smith.
He said strong political engagement among Black residents, who account for around 40 per cent of Mississippi’s population, combined with widespread dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump, would make the race competitive.
“Unlike all the people across the country who might be surprised, our campaign, our volunteers, the people of Mississippi are not surprised,” he said on Wednesday.
Although Mississippi had long been considered too conservative to attract significant attention from Democratic leaders in Washington, campaign donations surged in recent months. Prominent Democrats, including Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg, also publicly backed Colom.
He focused heavily on grassroots campaigning, attending Republican rallies to speak directly with voters and highlighting shared concerns over fuel and grocery prices.
One of his campaign advertisements also went viral after featuring comments Hyde-Smith made about high beef prices during a television interview. She had suggested that consumers had several other protein options.
“Pick another protein?” Mississippians are heard asking incredulously in Colom’s upbeat campaign video, set to the famous disco bassline of the song “Good Times”.
“I’d rather pick another senator instead,” they respond.
Personal rivalry
The Senate contest also has a personal dimension. Hyde-Smith had previously boasted that she blocked Colom’s ambitions to become a federal judge.
“He thought he was going to be a federal judge and I blocked him,” she said at an event announcing her reelection campaign last year.
If elected, Colom has pledged to focus on the cost of living, healthcare and corruption. He has also criticised Trump’s tariffs, which he says have contributed to rising prices.
“The bottom line is this is the beginning of a new direction for our state,” he said.