Hyde-Smith, who had served in the Senate since 2018, formally acknowledged the outcome approximately one hour after CNN projected the race for Colom.
In a video shared on social media, the outgoing senator addressed her supporters and explained that her campaign had spent the days following the election working to ensure the integrity of the vote count.
“Over the past week, our campaign has worked tirelessly to ensure every legally cast vote was counted and that the people of Mississippi received a fair and transparent election,” she said in the video.
Despite the disappointing result, Hyde-Smith said she accepted the voters’ decision.
“While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” Hyde-Smith added.
She concluded her remarks by congratulating her Democratic opponent and wishing him success as he prepares to represent Mississippi in the nation’s capital.
“I want to congratulate Scott Colom and wish him well as he takes on the tremendous responsibility of representing our great state,” she said.
Hyde-Smith’s departure also marks the end of a historic chapter in Mississippi politics.
According to information published on her official website, she became the first woman elected to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate and the first woman from the state elected to Congress.
Her path to Washington began in April 2018, when she was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of longtime Republican Sen. Thad Cochran.
She subsequently secured victory in a special election later that year before winning a full six-year Senate term in November 2020.
Now, her defeat opens the door for another historic development in the state’s political history.
Colom will become Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since the Reconstruction Era, according to The Hill.
The Democratic challenger celebrated the victory Wednesday night during an appearance at Tougaloo College in Jackson, where he spoke about the obstacles his campaign encountered along the way.
Rather than portraying the race as an easy path to victory, Colom described a campaign that faced skepticism, financial challenges, and moments when even his supporters questioned whether an upset was realistic.
“Throughout this campaign, there were many times where I had to have faith,” he said, according to CBS News. “There were times that I couldn’t get donors to answer the phone. They did not believe a moment like this was possible, but I kept the faith.”
Colom also recalled an early town hall event in Jackson that attracted a surprisingly small audience.
“I did my first town hall in Jackson, Mississippi… Less than 10 people showed up, but I kept the faith,” he added.
The victory is particularly notable because Colom and Hyde-Smith were not strangers before the 2026 Senate contest.
Their political disagreements date back to 2023, when Hyde-Smith intervened to block Colom’s lifetime appointment to a federal district court judgeship.
At the time, the Republican senator raised concerns about Colom’s positions on several contentious issues, particularly policies involving women’s sports.
“As someone with a strong interest in protecting the rights of girls and women, I am concerned about Scott Colom’s opposition to legislation to protect female athletes,” she said at the time, according to The Advocate.
Hyde-Smith also questioned the political support Colom had received from billionaire liberal donor George Soros, whose involvement in Democratic political causes has frequently drawn criticism from Republicans.
Those disagreements would eventually become part of the broader political battle between the two candidates.
During the 2026 campaign, Hyde-Smith’s allies also attempted to portray Colom as an unreliable choice on public safety, pointing to his previous experience as district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District.
Republican supporters accused the Democrat of being too lenient on criminal offenders, making his prosecutorial record a central issue in the contest.
Colom, however, sought to neutralize those attacks by presenting himself as a law-and-order candidate.
His campaign released advertisements emphasizing his tough-on-crime credentials and attempting to associate his approach to public safety with President Donald Trump’s messaging on criminal justice.
The strategy appeared to help him compete in a state where Republican candidates have traditionally enjoyed a considerable political advantage.
The final days of the race proved especially dramatic.
According to CBS News, the contest remained extraordinarily tight in the immediate aftermath of Election Day. At one point, only a few dozen votes separated Hyde-Smith and Colom.
That narrow margin initially suggested the outcome could remain uncertain as election officials continued processing and counting ballots.
However, the numbers gradually moved in Colom’s favor.
As CBS News reported, “Colom’s lead strengthened in the days that followed.”
The expanding margin ultimately prompted CNN to project the Democrat as the winner, followed by Hyde-Smith’s concession.
The Mississippi result adds another significant development to an already consequential midterm election cycle. Democrats have now secured a major Republican-held Senate seat, while Republicans are left confronting the political consequences of losing an incumbent in a state where the GOP has historically maintained considerable strength.
For Democrats, Colom’s victory is both a political breakthrough and a historic milestone. For Republicans, meanwhile, Hyde-Smith’s defeat raises fresh questions about the party’s performance, campaign strategy, and ability to retain traditionally reliable seats.
One thing is certain: Mississippi’s next chapter in the U.S. Senate will look considerably different, and Colom will soon face the challenge of turning his campaign promises into results for the voters who sent him to Washington.
