Democrat Scott Colom Wins Nail-Biter Mississippi Senate Race

Ahead of Election Day, the Senate race was filled with name-calling and tit-for-tat jabs over the candidates’ differing ideologies. 

Colom called Hyde-Smith a “chicken” for refusing to debate, something she hasn’t done since 2018. 

In response, Hyde-Smith’s campaign defended her by saying that there was “no point in debating someone so out of touch with Mississippi that he advocates for the sex change surgeries for children,” referencing Colom’s stance on gender-affirming care. 

Colom, who Hyde-Smith also called “the most radical liberal” to run for office in Mississippi, in 2021 signed a letter opposing the criminalization of transgender people and gender-affirming care, but has said that he opposes gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Hyde-Smith has similarly sought to paint Colom in a negative light by labeling him a “Transgender Defender” throughout her campaign. 

Colom created a nickname of his own for his opponent, referring to Hyde-Smith as “Cindy High Prices.” Colom, whose campaign focused in part on lowering consumer prices, criticized the Republican incumbent for comments that appeared to brush off concerns about rising beef prices in particular, zoning in on a February television interview in which the Mississippi Senator said in response to a question about rising costs for beef and other food that there were “so many proteins to choose from.” Colom’s campaign put out a viral ad that suggested that voters, instead of picking another protein, should “pick another senator.”