Mississippi Senate Race Still Uncalled as Colom Holds Narrow Lead Over Hyde-Smith
The Mississippi Senate race is still uncalled on Friday, November 6, 2026. Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 2,010 votes, with Colom at 467,066 votes and Hyde-Smith at 465,056 votes. The Associated Press lists the race as Too Early to Call. All precincts have reported, and about 96.23 percent of the expected vote has been counted, so the result now depends on affidavit ballots and the last votes still to be reviewed. Both campaigns are watching county offices closely, and neither side has claimed a final result.
Colom holds 49.1 percent of the counted vote and Hyde-Smith holds 48.8 percent, a gap of 0.3 percentage points. With thousands of affidavit ballots still in play, the lead could change as officials work through them. For now, the race is a counting battle, not a finished contest, and no winner should be called until the remaining ballots are settled.
Quick Facts
| Detail | What we know |
|---|---|
| Race | Mississippi United States Senate, 2026 midterm election |
| Candidates | Democrat Scott Colom and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith |
| Colom votes | 467,066 votes, or 49.1 percent |
| Hyde-Smith votes | 465,056 votes, or 48.8 percent |
| Lead | Colom leads by about 2,010 votes |
| Call status | Too Early to Call, according to the Associated Press |
| Precincts reporting | 100 percent of precincts reporting |
| Expected vote counted | About 96.23 percent of the expected vote counted |
| Key issue now | Affidavit ballots and remaining absentee ballots |
| Deadline for voters | November 10 to resolve identification issues |
| Counties involved | All 82 counties in Mississippi |
| Recount process | Mississippi has no conventional statewide recount process |
| Date of this report | Friday, November 6, 2026 |
What the Latest Count Shows
The numbers show a race that is close in almost every way it can be measured. Colom has 467,066 votes and Hyde-Smith has 465,056 votes, a difference of about 2,010 votes in a statewide count of more than 930,000 votes between the two leading candidates. In percentage terms, Colom stands at 49.1 percent and Hyde-Smith stands at 48.8 percent. That small gap leaves very little room for change in the votes that remain, and it is the reason the race has not been called.
The fact that 100 percent of precincts have reported does not mean that every vote has been counted. Election offices still have affidavit ballots to review, and some absentee ballots may still be checked and added. Readers should treat the current totals as a snapshot, not as a final result, because they will move as more ballots are added.
Why Affidavit Ballots Are Now the Center of the Fight
Affidavit ballots are at the heart of this race now. In Mississippi, a voter who casts an affidavit ballot is a voter whose eligibility or identification needs to be checked after Election Day. The ballot is kept separate while officials review it, and it is counted only if the voter meets the requirements. Voters who cast such a ballot because of an identification issue have until November 10 to resolve that issue, and that deadline now sets the pace for the rest of the count.
The scale of the remaining ballots explains why both sides are focused on this stage. Earlier in the week, the Colom campaign estimated that there were about 15,000 provisional ballots. Republicans estimated that there could be up to 20,000 provisional ballots plus absentee ballots still outstanding. Those are campaign estimates, not official final counts, but even as estimates they show why the review matters. If the ballots still to be decided number in the tens of thousands, and the lead is only about 2,010 votes, then the review of those ballots could decide the outcome.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Hyde-Smith campaign sent letters to election officials in all 82 counties, demanding that affidavit ballots be separated and preserved. The Colom campaign has pointed to the provisional ballot numbers as a reason to let the normal review process run its course and to count every ballot that meets the rules. County officials now have to carry out that work, ballot by ballot, under state rules.
The Protein Ad That Helped Define the Race
One moment from the campaign is getting fresh attention as the count goes on. In February, Hyde-Smith spoke in a WLOX interview about beef prices, and she suggested that people could pick another protein if beef was too costly. The Colom campaign turned that clip into an advertisement, posting it on October 13. The ad went viral, drawing more than 16 million views, and it became one of the most talked about moments of the race.
USA Today reported on November 6 that the ad is drawing fresh attention now. The Colom campaign used the clip to argue that Hyde-Smith was out of touch with the cost of living in Mississippi. Supporters of Hyde-Smith would say that a short clip cannot capture a full interview. What is not in dispute is the reach of the ad. More than 16 million views is a large number for a Senate race in Mississippi. The ad alone does not explain the current count, but it did help define the closing weeks of the campaign.
What the Betting Market Is Saying and What It Is Not
Prediction markets have also moved sharply in Colom favor. On Polymarket, Colom was priced at about 98 cents on November 6, which implies about a 98 percent chance of winning, while Hyde-Smith was priced at about 3 cents. Those prices reflect what traders are willing to pay at that moment, and they have moved as the count has stayed in Colom favor and as the affidavit ballot numbers have become clearer.
A price on Polymarket is not an official count, it is not a call by a news outlet, and it is not a guarantee. It is a market view, shaped by the same public numbers that everyone else can see. Markets can be wrong, and they can move fast when new information arrives. A price of 98 cents does not mean that the race is over. The market is a signal, not a verdict, and it does not replace the count itself.
Why This One Seat Still Matters
This race matters for two reasons. First, if Colom wins, it would be the first Democratic Senate win in Mississippi in 32 years. That is a long stretch, and it would mark a major change in a state where Republicans have held the Senate seats for a generation. A win of that kind would be historic on its own, even before anyone talks about what it would mean in Washington.
Second, the race decides the size of the Democratic majority in the Senate, not control of the Senate itself. Democrats have already secured the Senate majority, so this seat will not decide which party holds the chamber. It will decide how large that majority is, and that matters for how easily the majority party can pass bills, confirm nominees, and win votes on close issues. A larger majority gives the majority party more room when a few members disagree. A smaller majority means that every vote counts more.
For a look at how the midterm results are being read in Washington, read Robert Thomson on why Republicans lost the midterms in Hispanic America. You can also read the report on Jim Clyburn and the early 2028 endorsement race with Shapiro, Pritzker, and Kelly. None of that changes the basic fact of this race. It is still uncalled, it is still close, and it will be decided by the count.
What Happens Next
The next clear date in the race is November 10. That is the deadline for affidavit ballot voters to resolve identification issues. After that date, county officials will have a clearer picture of how many affidavit ballots can be counted and how many cannot. That work will happen county by county, in all 82 counties, and it will take time. Readers should not expect a single moment when the whole picture becomes clear at once. It is more likely that the picture will become clearer in stages, as counties finish their reviews.
Mississippi has no conventional statewide recount process, according to the Secretary of State office in comments to ABC News, so readers should not expect a standard recount of the kind seen in some other states. Both campaigns are likely to keep watching the count closely. For now, the best advice for anyone following the race is to wait for the official process and to check the numbers from the Associated Press as they are updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the Mississippi Senate race not been called yet?
The margin is very small and ballots are still being reviewed. Colom leads by about 2,010 votes, and about 96.23 percent of the expected vote has been counted. Affidavit ballots still being checked number more than the current lead. News outlets call a race only when the remaining votes cannot change the outcome, and that point has not been reached yet.
How many votes separate Colom and Hyde-Smith?
Colom has 467,066 votes and Hyde-Smith has 465,056 votes, a difference of about 2,010 votes. In percentage terms, Colom has 49.1 percent and Hyde-Smith has 48.8 percent. The totals will change as more ballots are added.
What is an affidavit ballot and why does it matter here?
An affidavit ballot, also known as a provisional ballot, is cast by a voter whose eligibility or identification needs to be checked after Election Day. It is kept separate while officials review it, and counted only if the voter meets the rules. Thousands are still to be reviewed, and the current lead is only about 2,010 votes. Voters with an identification issue have until November 10 to resolve it.
When will voters know the final result?
There is no firm date given for a final call, and no date should be invented. The next clear step is the November 10 deadline for affidavit ballot voters to resolve identification issues. After that, county officials will continue their reviews, and the race will be called when the remaining votes have been settled.
Sources
- Associated Press election results, Mississippi Senate race
- USA Today, Mississippi Senate election and the protein ad, November 6, 2026
- Action Network, Mississippi Senate race polls, live odds, and updates, November 6, 2026
Final Thoughts
The Mississippi Senate race is a reminder that close elections are decided by the count, not by the first night of results. Colom leads by about 2,010 votes, Hyde-Smith is close behind, and thousands of affidavit ballots still need to be reviewed. The viral protein ad, the betting market, and the talk of history all add color, but none of them will decide it. The decision will come from county election offices and from voters who resolve identification issues by November 10. Until the count is complete, the race is still uncalled, Colom is ahead, and the final result will depend on the ballots still to be decided.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.
