Mississippi's United States Senate race remained uncalled on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, with Democratic challenger Scott Colom leading Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes out of nearly a million ballots counted. The Associated Press listed the contest as "Too Early to Call," a rare description for a race in a state forecasters had rated Likely Republican or safer, and a sign of how dramatically the 2026 midterms have reshaped expectations across the country.

Key Points

• Colom led Hyde-Smith by 43 votes, 462,821 to 462,778, with 99.83 percent of precincts reporting.
• Overnight the lead was 28 votes, 462,779 to 462,751, at about 97 percent counted, with both candidates at 48.9 percent.
• Independent Ty Pinkins held 19,934 votes, or 2.1 percent, more than the gap between the frontrunners.
• Hinds County paused its count shortly after midnight and planned to resume on Wednesday morning.
• Thousands of affidavit ballots remain, put by Colom's campaign at as many as 15,000, a figure not confirmed by the Secretary of State's office.

What Happened

The Associated Press live results showed Colom on 462,821 votes and Hyde-Smith on 462,778, with 1,733 of 1,736 precincts reporting and an estimated 95.62 percent of the vote counted. The count was not finished when the race was left uncalled: Hinds County, home to the state capital, Jackson, had paused its count, and affidavit ballots still had to be examined. Affidavit ballots are cast by voters whose eligibility must be verified before their ballot counts, and they are a normal part of the process, though often decisive in a close race.

Mississippi has no runoff in a general election, so the candidate with the most votes wins even below 50 percent. There is also no automatic recount, however close the result, unless a court orders one. The outcome will therefore turn on the careful completion of the count now under way, and on any legal challenge that may follow, rather than on a second round of voting.

Background: A Race Rated Safe for Republicans

The closeness is striking because of where it happened. Donald Trump carried Mississippi by more than 20 points in 2024, and forecasters rated this race Likely Republican or safer. Hyde-Smith was seeking re-election in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since John C. Stennis's final election in 1982. If Colom's lead holds, he would become Mississippi's first Democratic senator in more than four decades.

The race was fought as Democrats made gains across the country, including in governor's races in states long controlled by Republicans. That national picture does not explain a single state's result alone, but it helps explain why a contest once seen as safe became one decided, for now, by dozens of votes. With both candidates locked at 48.9 percent overnight, neither campaign's argument had produced a decisive advantage in the ballots counted so far.

Mississippi Senate Race 2026: Why 43 Votes Matter

A lead of 43 votes out of nearly a million ballots is, for practical purposes, a tie awaiting its final chapter. Affidavit ballots, which must be checked against registration records, could move the totals in either direction, and if their number is anywhere near the 15,000 suggested by the Colom campaign, it is far larger than the current gap. That does not mean the lead will change hands; it means no responsible call can be made until those ballots are processed and counties complete their counts.

The absence of an automatic recount shapes what happens next. A recount would require a court order or a request under the state's election contest procedures, placing a premium on the accuracy of the count and on transparency about how many ballots remain, where they are, and when they will be counted. Both campaigns are expected to watch the process closely as officials in Hinds County and elsewhere resume and finish their work.

Reactions and the Wait for a Call

Neither campaign could claim victory on Wednesday morning, and no winner had been declared by the Associated Press or other major race callers. The campaigns' immediate task was monitoring the remaining count rather than celebrating or conceding. The Colom campaign's estimate of up to 15,000 affidavit ballots gave supporters reason to believe the lead could grow, while the Hyde-Smith campaign could point to the same uncounted ballots as reason the race was far from over.

Officials had not confirmed the affidavit figure, and that gap between a campaign estimate and an official count is normal at this stage of a close race. Official figures will come from the counties and the Secretary of State's office as the canvass proceeds. Until then, the verified numbers are those on the Associated Press live page, and the fact that the race is listed as too early to call is the firmest ground available.

Why It Matters

The result matters for three reasons. It decides who holds a Senate seat for six years, and in a closely divided Senate every seat carries weight for legislation and confirmations. It tests the durability of Mississippi's Republican lean: a Democratic victory, or even a near miss, would signal a shift future campaigns cannot ignore. And it tests the election system itself, showing whether a count conducted under intense attention can produce a result both sides and the public accept as accurate.

What Happens Next

Hinds County was due to resume its count on Wednesday morning, and other counties were due to complete their returns. Affidavit ballots will be reviewed and, where voters are verified as eligible, added to the totals. Once counties finish, results will be canvassed and certified, and race callers will reassess whether the margin is large enough, relative to ballots outstanding, to call the race.

If the margin remains within dozens of votes after certification, a court-ordered recount or election contest becomes a real possibility. If instead the remaining ballots widen the lead beyond reach, a call will follow quickly. Until one of those things happens, Mississippi's Senate race stays where it was on Wednesday morning: uncalled, separated by 43 votes, and waiting on the count. US News Pulse will update this story when a winner is called or officials release a new count.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is leading the Mississippi Senate race? Scott Colom led Cindy Hyde-Smith by 43 votes, 462,821 to 462,778, with 99.83 percent of precincts reporting and an estimated 95.62 percent of the vote counted.

Why has the race not been called? The margin is smaller than the number of ballots still to be counted, including thousands of affidavit ballots, and Hinds County had paused its count.

Will there be a runoff? No. Mississippi has no runoff in a general election, so the candidate with the most votes wins even below 50 percent.

Will there be a recount? There is no automatic recount, however close the result, unless a court orders one. A recount or contest could still follow certification.

When was Mississippi's last Democratic senator elected? If Colom's lead holds, he would be the first Democratic senator since John C. Stennis's final election in 1982.

Read more on the 2026 midterms: Aaron Ford flips Nevada governor's seat and Ninth Circuit votes 6-5 on Election Day.