Mississippi Senate Race Hangs on 43 Votes With No Recount Allowed

Mississippi's U.S. Senate race remained too close to call Wednesday, with Democrat Scott Colom ahead of Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes in incomplete, unofficial results. According to NPR, the state has no runoff for federal races and no recount mechanism, so the count that comes out of the next few days is likely to be final.

Fox News reported that an estimated 44,000 ballots were still outstanding, and both parties are preparing for a possible legal fight.

How close is the race right now?

CBS News reported that with about 96% of the vote counted, at one point Wednesday morning only a few dozen votes separated the two candidates. NPR and Fox News both put Colom's lead at 43 votes. A Newsom fundraising email obtained by Fox News described the margin as a couple hundred votes, a figure that differs from the reported tallies.

Why hasn't a winner been called?

Fox News said thousands of ballots had not yet been processed, including absentee, affidavit and provisional ballots. NPR reported that provisional ballots must be cleared, and that the deadline for doing so means the process will take days.

Under Mississippi law, as described by Fox News, absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive within five business days, through Nov. 10. Voters can also fix certain ballot problems during that period.

What happens if the margin stays this thin?

NPR's Stephen Fowler said Mississippi is a rare state with no recount mechanism or threshold and little other way to contest an election. In his words, when it is done, it is done. That makes the remaining ballots and any court action the main paths that could affect the outcome.

Democrats are already preparing for that. Fox News reported that Gov. Gavin Newsom of California sent a fundraising email warning of "a phase of ballot curing and possible legal fights." Attorney Marc Elias said his firm, Elias Law Group, is leading the legal effort to help Colom win. Fox News said it had not received a reply from Elias about his planned role. The Mississippi Democratic Party has also filed a court challenge alleging delayed polling-place openings, long lines and ballot shortages in DeSoto County, according to Fox News.

Why was a deep-red state this competitive?

Reports differ on the size of President Donald Trump's 2024 win in Mississippi. NPR said he carried it by 24 points, while CBS News said 20 points. CBS added that the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982. Hyde-Smith, 67, has served since 2018.

Fowler said the state has the highest share of Black voters in the country, closer to 40%, and that this year brought a surge in Black turnout. He also pointed to somewhat lower turnout among Republican-leaning voters. He described Mississippi as highly polarized along racial lines. Fowler said voters he spoke with were motivated by anger at the political system, and that Colom himself was frustrated with his own party's level of support. Host Steve Inskeep also noted Republican-led redistricting that many saw as disadvantaging Black voters.

CBS News described Colom, 43, as a district attorney and seventh-generation Mississippian who campaigned on cost of living and health care. Democrats began investing in the race in recent weeks, CBS reported, though a win still looked exceedingly unlikely heading into Election Day. Speaking to supporters early Wednesday, Colom said, "The results are all trending in our direction."

Why it matters for Mississippi and the Senate

If Colom's lead holds, NPR noted, Mississippi would elect its first Black senator since Reconstruction. NPR and CBS both reported that Democrats have already secured a Senate majority, so this race would add to it rather than decide control.

For Mississippi voters, the practical effect is that the outcome rests on a short window of ballot processing and ballot fixes, with no recount available afterward. Fowler said the result also shows the South remains competitive, with a Mississippi governor's race next year.

What comes next?

The key date is Nov. 10, when the window closes for absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day. Officials still have to process the outstanding absentee, affidavit and provisional ballots. The court challenge over DeSoto County is pending.

Around Prague, based on reporting by NPR, CBS News, Fox News