Mississippi Senate Race Is Too Close to Call, and There Is No Recount

The Mississippi Senate race between Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom remained uncalled on November 5, 2026, two days after the midterm elections. ABC News reported that Colom held a lead of 1,138 votes in one of its tallies, and the margin matters because Mississippi has no recount procedure. If the count stays this close, the outcome could be settled by provisional ballots, litigation, or both.

Colom is a district attorney for four counties along the Mississippi-Alabama border. According to ABC News, he would be the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction, and Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.

Where does the Mississippi Senate race stand?

Vote totals have moved with each update, and the figures differ by source and time. The Hill reported that Colom led by less than a quarter of a percentage point, fewer than 2,000 votes, as of Wednesday evening, November 4. An ABC7 New York live blog entry timed at 5:25 PM GMT on November 5 described the candidates as separated by roughly 1,000 votes.

Earlier on November 4 the gap was far smaller. The Mississippi Independent, citing The Wall Street Journal, noted a 43-vote lead for Colom at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time that day, before it grew.

NBC News reported that both campaigns say thousands of ballots are still outstanding. In a post on X on election night, Colom said he expected to “ultimately flip this seat,” according to The Hill. The Hyde-Smith campaign has not been quoted in the sources reviewed here on whether it will contest the count.

Why is there no recount in Mississippi?

Mississippi has never enacted a recount law. The state’s Secretary of State’s office confirmed to ABC News that candidates cannot request a recount and that none is triggered automatically, whatever the margin.

The Mississippi Independent, relaying Wall Street Journal reporting, said a recount can be ordered only by a court. The outlet noted that under a proposed bill, a 43-vote margin in a race with nearly a million ballots would have triggered one automatically, but that bill is not law.

Derek Muller, an election law professor at the University of Notre Dame, noted in a blog post that Mississippi lacks recount provisions, as The Washington Post reported. The Post said a disputed result could end up in court or in the Senate itself, which judges the qualifications of its own members.

What ballots are still to be counted?

Two categories could change the margin. The first is provisional (affidavit) ballots, which are cast when a voter’s eligibility must be verified. Colom’s campaign manager said on election night that about 15,000 could remain, but the Secretary of State’s office told ABC News it could not give a definitive number.

The second is mail ballots. According to the Mississippi Independent, ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive for five more business days, and affidavit ballots were still under review. That timeline means the count may not settle for several days.

NBC News reported that the Colom campaign’s lawyers at the Elias Law Group were traveling to Mississippi to investigate the outstanding vote. Ben Griffith, a voting rights attorney who teaches at the University of Mississippi, told NBC News that the options for either side to challenge the result are limited.

What does the Mississippi Senate race mean for control of the Senate?

Control of the chamber does not hinge on this seat. NBC News reported that Democrats will have a Senate majority without flipping Mississippi, though it could be their reddest pickup after Democrats won several Senate races in Republican-leaning states.

The contest has a personal history as well. According to an Associated Press report, Hyde-Smith blocked President Joe Biden’s 2023 nomination of Colom to a federal judgeship, citing concerns about his past connection to a political action committee that received funds from financier George Soros. Soros did not contribute directly to Colom’s campaign, per the AP.

The race sits within a broader election result that has already moved markets. For that context, see Intelligence Report’s coverage of the Trump Media stock decline after the Democratic midterm sweep.

What to watch

• Provisional ballot totals: whether the Secretary of State’s office publishes a firm count of affidavit ballots and how many are ruled valid.
• Mail ballot deadline: five business days after Election Day, per the Mississippi Independent, which is the window for late-arriving ballots postmarked on time.
• Court filings: any lawsuit seeking a court-ordered recount or contesting the result, since that is the only route to a recount reported by ABC News and The Wall Street Journal.
• A formal call: a projection by The Associated Press or another named news organization. As of the sources reviewed, ABC News described the race as uncalled.
• Certification: the state’s official certification of the result, which would start any formal contest process.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• What to know about recounts in Mississippi with razor-thin margin in Senate race
• Mississippi has an unexpectedly close Senate race but no recount procedure
• Mississippi Senate race: Why there's no recount in Colom vs. Hyde-Smith
• Mississippi Senate race heads to an extended vote count and possible ballot battle
• Colom v. Hyde-Smith: When and how will this close contest be decided?
• Midterm election 2026 live results (ABC7 New York)
• Democratic prosecutor Scott Colom announces US Senate race in Mississippi (AP via Yahoo)

Top image: Kaotate / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.