Mississippi Senate Results Final: DeSoto Key to Colom Margin

Mississippi’s official Senate results are in from all 82 counties, and DeSoto County accounts for more than half of Senator-elect Scott Colom’s statewide margin. Secretary of State Michael Watson announced the final numbers on Friday, Nov. 13, the state’s deadline for counties to certify their Nov. 3 results.

Mississippi Senate Results: Statewide Totals

According to the totals reported Friday night by WLBT and WMC Action News 5:

• Scott Colom (D): 479,404 votes (49.3%)
• Cindy Hyde-Smith (R): 471,817 votes (48.6%)
• Ty Pinkins (I): 20,439 votes (2.1%)

That puts Colom ahead by 7,587 votes. The Associated Press called the race for Colom on Nov. 11, and Hyde-Smith conceded that day.

Watson said 21,344 affidavit ballots were processed across the state and about 73% of them were accepted. Affidavit ballots are cast when a voter’s eligibility has to be checked after Election Day, for example when a name is missing from the poll book. “Congrats to our entire team for a job well done!” Watson wrote on X.

DeSoto County’s Share of the Margin

DeSoto County’s own official report, posted Nov. 11 after the county reviewed more than 2,000 affidavit ballots, showed Colom with 29,266 votes to Hyde-Smith’s 25,128 among county voters. That 4,138-vote edge is about 55% of Colom’s 7,587-vote statewide margin.

The county result was a sharp reversal from the last Senate race. In 2020, Hyde-Smith carried DeSoto County with about 57% of the vote. Our earlier analysis found that DeSoto County had the largest swing toward Democrats of any Mississippi county this year.

The county’s official report showed 55,956 ballots cast out of 119,801 registered voters, a turnout of 46.71%. Full county race results are in our post on DeSoto County’s official election results.

What Happens Next

With county results certified to the state, the remaining steps are formal. Colom is expected to take office when the new Congress convenes in January. He will be Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.

The Secretary of State’s office has faced criticism over how parts of this election were run, including long lines and equipment problems at some polling places. In DeSoto County, voters at an Olive Branch precinct reported long waits and a machine failure on Election Day. Questions about specific ballots or voter records in DeSoto County can go to the DeSoto County Circuit Clerk’s office in Hernando at 662-469-8007.

Source: WMC Action News 5 / WLBT