How the Mississippi Senate Race Became a Nail-Biter

“Because of the razor-thin margins we currently see, I don’t expect any results to be called before then,” Ommundsen says.

The tight race in Mississippi is one of many that illustrate the extremely challenging political environment Republicans have faced this year. 

Historically, the party in the White House loses seats in midterm elections, and that pressure on Republicans was compounded in this election cycle because of historically low approval for Trump driven in large part by the economy, as well as the war in Iran.

Ommundsen says that, while ballots are still being counted, the result in Mississippi, so far, “is consistent with trends that we saw nationally.”

“Nearly all counties that had a Senate election on the ballot moved towards the left compared to how they voted in 2024,” she says, though she notes that there are some exceptions. “Mississippi just happens to be one of those elections that was closer and perhaps more ripe for a flip.”