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Colom puts Mississippi campaigners ahead of Washington in victory credit

An interview recorded before the race was called captures his insistence on finishing the count and his case for campaigning beyond political forecasts.

Channel: CNN ·

United StatesStory of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Colom expands lead in Mississippi Senate race

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:35Colom says he will wait for Hinds County election officials to complete their work before declaring victory.
1:33Hyde-Smith cites outside money; Colom responds by emphasizing grassroots campaigning and town halls.
4:22Colom credits local Mississippians with recruiting him after a clip of Schumer discussing his encouragement.
8:29Colom argues that pessimistic race ratings misunderstood local conditions and deterred donors.
10:12Grayer reports from Jackson on the large volume of affidavit ballots under review.
12:23Derrick Johnson raises counting and voter-suppression concerns; voter Emily Johnson recounts difficulties casting her ballot.

Credit belongs to Mississippians who recruited him and turned up, Scott Colom tells Laura Coates, pushing back on a Washington-centered account of his Senate campaign. His interview captures the final uncertainty before his victory over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith was projected.

The United States' Cable News Network (CNN) posted the segment as "Colom expands lead in Mississippi Senate race." At the time, the broadcaster reported that Colom's advantage had grown to nearly 3,000 votes, but the race remained too close to call. Asked why he had not declared victory, Colom said he wanted election officials in Hinds County to finish their work first.

The Democratic district attorney offers a different explanation for the close contest from Hyde-Smith, who attributes it in a clip to "a lot of money poured in." Colom points instead to his grassroots campaign and town halls, contrasting his accessibility with what he describes as her lack of public engagement.

A clip of Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer discussing his encouragement to run prompts Colom to return the credit to local people. He also explains his decision to campaign with former Vice President Kamala Harris despite staff concerns about possible backlash. "I think we got too much celebrity in our politics," he says.

His criticism extends to election forecasting. Colom argues that the Cook Political Report's assessment missed what was happening on the ground and discouraged potential donors from supporting the campaign.

The broadcast then moves from campaign strategy to the unfinished count. Reporting from Jackson, Annie Grayer describes officials reviewing a large volume of affidavit ballots, while Kate Bolduan outlines the outstanding provisional and absentee votes in Hinds County.

In the final interview, NAACP President Derrick Johnson raises concerns about counting delays and voter suppression. Voter Emily Johnson describes repeated difficulties casting her ballot: "I'm kind of depressed with it, because it shouldn't take all this." Derrick Johnson's demand is straightforward: "Every ballot should be counted."