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Colom declares confidence, but Mississippi Senate seat remains uncalled

Outstanding ballots and a court-dependent recount process complicate a potential Democratic pickup from Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Channel: CNN ·

United StatesStory of November 6, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Colom's lead in Mississippi grows, nearing a Dem Senate seat flip

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00Colom leads Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes, but the Mississippi Senate contest remains too close to call.
1:14King examines county returns and the mail-in and provisional ballots still outstanding.
3:16Brown explains that a Mississippi recount requires a court order.
5:25Ginsberg explains recount litigation and the Senate's authority to decide who is seated.
7:27In Tupelo, Colom expresses confidence that he will win the unresolved contest.
9:25The panel weighs health care, household costs and cooperation with Trump as priorities for the Democratic Congress.

Winning a recount in Mississippi requires more than asking election officials to count again. As Democrat Scott Colom holds a narrow lead over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, election lawyer Ben Ginsberg explains that any recount would require court action.

"You can't demand the recount, you can ask for a court case," Ginsberg tells the United States' Cable News Network (CNN). He also notes the Senate's constitutional authority to determine who ultimately takes a seat in the chamber.

The broadcast shows Colom ahead by 1,138 votes with 96% reporting. John King examines returns from Warren and Clay counties, while Pamela Brown explains that thousands of mail-in and provisional ballots remain outstanding statewide. The contest is still too close to call, despite Colom's growing advantage.

Colom, a Mississippi district attorney, sounds considerably more certain when Annie Grayer interviews him in Tupelo. "I'm confident we're going to win," he says. He also says his campaign has lawyers ready to handle the legal questions. Hyde-Smith has represented Mississippi in the Senate since 2018.

The unresolved seat would add to Democratic gains in an election that, according to the network's coverage, has already given the party control of both chambers of Congress. But the broadcast's closing discussion moves beyond the size of those majorities to what Democrats should do with them.

David Axelrod, Van Jones, Kasie Hunt and Scott Jennings weigh household costs, health care subsidies and the possibility of working with President Donald Trump. Jones identifies health care cuts and utility rates as urgent priorities. Jennings points to health care concerns in Pennsylvania's seventh congressional district as a warning that election victories must produce tangible results. Hunt argues that the breadth of the Democratic majorities creates an opportunity to govern from the center.

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