Colom leads Hyde-Smith by 43 votes in Senate race

Democrat Scott Colom held a 43-vote lead over Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi Senate race as of 3 a.m. on Nov. 4. The count covered 95.6% of all ballots cast in the contest.

Colom received 462,821 votes. Hyde-Smith had 462,778 votes at that time. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins accumulated 19,935 votes.

Hyde-Smith told supporters at her watch party that the team had run a strong campaign. She noted that they were in a good lead but had not yet counted every vote. “I assure you I will continue to be your U.S. Senator,” Hyde-Smith said. She did not officially claim victory during the speech.

Colom addressed his crowd with a message of faith and confidence. “I’m telling you, deep down in my soul, I believe we’re about to show the country Mississippi matters,” he said. He concluded by telling the room they were going to win. Like Hyde-Smith, he did not formally declare victory.

The race is a general congressional election, so no runoff is scheduled. The candidate with the most votes will take the seat. Both candidates spoke at their respective events as Election Day ended.

The final margin will be determined once all remaining ballots are processed. Neither campaign has announced a specific timeline for certifying the winner.