Mississippi Senate Lead Narrows to 2,500 Votes as Counting Continues
Democrat Scott Colom trails by a slim margin while officials process approximately 20,000 outstanding ballots ahead of the November 13 certification deadline.
By Nadia Rahman ·
Mississippi election officials worked through Friday without declaring a winner in the state’s U.S. Senate race, leaving the outcome in a state of flux.
Democrat Scott Colom currently holds a lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by roughly 2,500 votes as of Friday night. This narrow advantage exists while thousands of additional ballots remain uncounted. The total number of remaining ballots is difficult to pin down because the tally includes both provisional ballots and late-arriving mail-in votes.
Mike Hurst, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, stated on Thursday that the race is far from over. He estimated that approximately 20,000 outstanding ballots remain to be counted. This figure encompasses mail-in, absentee, affidavit, and provisional ballots. Voters have until November 10 to resolve any issues with their provisional ballots, which were set aside due to verification problems.
County election officials are proceeding with caution to ensure the final counts are accurate. Emily Ommundsen, a political science professor at the University of Mississippi, noted that the tight margins have made the process particularly judicious. "Because of this narrow majority, we are we are hesitant to make any conclusions about the outcome of the race, as these final ballots are still being counted, within this legally prescribed period, where counties are ensuring that they are reporting the correct totals," Ommundsen said.
Both campaigns have deployed legal teams to address potential legal challenges in the coming days. Colom said on Friday, "We got an army of lawyers. Those election commissioners and circuit clerks, they’re not going to be intimidated." While Mississippi is the only state in the nation without a formal recourse for a vote recount, Ommundsen expects court-ordered considerations regarding which ballots should be permitted.
The deadline to certify votes in Mississippi is November 13. Ommundsen identified that date as the first real opportunity to see how the situation will shake out. "If these margins stay as close as they are, I expect some court ordered considerations, of which ballots should be permitted to be to be counted," she said.
The certification date serves as the primary checkpoint for the final outcome. Until then, the count remains open to adjustment based on the resolution of outstanding mail and provisional ballots.
