Mississippi Democrat eyes historic upset in Senate raceWorld

A Colom victory would make him the first Black senator from Mississippi in more than 150 years. The last African American senator from the state was Blanche Bruce, a former slave, who was elected in 1874. Black residents make up about 40 percent of Mississippi’s population.

His possible win would underline a Democratic blue wave that has swept Democrats to majorities in both houses of the United States Congress, including seven Senate seats taken from Republicans, among them Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. Wins in Mississippi and Alaska, where results are still pending, would boost that margin to nine.

Colom traces his roots in Mississippi back six generations. His mother broke racial barriers as a judge, and his father was a Republican lawyer who worked for Ronald Reagan. He was elected as a local prosecutor in 2015 and has built his campaign around the cost of living.

His campaign drew backing from former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former transport secretary Pete Buttigieg, and donations surged after a viral campaign advertisement mocked Hyde-Smith’s remark about beef prices, in which she said shoppers had so many proteins to choose from.

In the advertisement, a voice asks, “Pick another protein?” and Colom answers, “I would rather pick another senator instead.” The exchange became one of the most shared moments of the campaign.

Colom said he was confident of victory once the remaining ballots were counted. “I am confident that once the process lays out, where we are, where the outstanding ballots are, we are going to win,” he said, adding that the bottom line was that this was the beginning of a new direction for our state.

Hyde-Smith, for her part, has dismissed Colom’s rise, saying of him, “He thought he was going to be a federal judge and I blocked him.” She has held the seat since 2018 and was counting on Mississippi’s long Republican tradition to carry her through.

Colom has also spoken about the responsibility he feels as a possible trailblazer, saying, “My point of view is I don’t want to be the last,” and that he did not want anyone to say he had done anything to hurt the next person with the talent, the work ethic and the ability to reach for their dream.

The race is not yet decided, and the remaining ballots will determine whether Mississippi delivers one of the biggest upsets of the election. But whatever the final count, Colom’s campaign has already redrawn the political map of a state long written off as unwinnable for Democrats.