(AFP) – Scott Colom, a 43-year-old prosecutor, is on the verge of becoming an unlikely new Democratic star as he eyes a stunning upset victory in deeply conservative Mississippi’s Senate race. The Black father of two wasn’t even born the last time Democrats won a Senate seat in his state — in 1982 — and the last African American senator from Mississippi was elected in 1874. But with 96 percent of votes counted, Colom was leading his Republican opponent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just over 1,000 ballots.
“I’m confident that once the process lays out, where we are, where the (outstanding) ballots are, we’re going to win,” he said Wednesday in the state capital Jackson, to cheers from supporters. Victory over Hyde-Smith, a senator since 2018, would underscore the strength of the so-called blue wave that swept Democrats to majorities in both houses of the US Congress. The wins have notably included seven Senate seats wrested from Republicans, including in states long considered solidly conservative like Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas. Democratic wins in Mississippi and Alaska, where Senate results are also pending, would boost that resounding margin to nine.
Colom traces his roots in Mississippi back six generations. His mother broke racial barriers as a judge, and his father was a Republican lawyer who once worked for Ronald Reagan. Given the state’s history of slavery and segregation, the devout Christian has been frequently questioned about his role as a trailblazing Black politician. “My point of view is I don’t want to be the last,” he said about possibly becoming the first Black Mississippi senator in more than 150 years, following Blanche Bruce, a former slave. “I don’t want anybody to say that I did anything to hurt the next person that has the talent, the work ethic, the ability to be able to reach for their dream,” he said.
– Competitive –
Colom was elected as a local prosecutor in 2015 and highlighted his law enforcement background in his pitch to voters, as well as focusing on cost-of-living problems. For months he had appealed to Democratic leaders for more support, insisting his seat was winnable as polling showed him closing in on his Republican rival. He argued that the state’s motivated Black residents — who make up around 40 percent of the population — as well as broad disaffection with President Donald Trump would make the election competitive. “Unlike all the people across the country who might be surprised, our campaign, our volunteers, the people of Mississippi are not surprised,” he said Wednesday.
Although Mississippi was long considered too conservative to merit attention from party leaders in Washington, donations surged in recent months, as did visible backing from top Democrats such as Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Pete Buttigieg. Colom invested heavily in grassroots campaigning, visiting Republican rallies to speak with voters and stressing how he shared their concerns about fuel prices and grocery bills. He also produced one of the most viral campaign ads of the midterms, seizing on comments Hyde-Smith made about high beef prices in a TV interview. Hyde-Smith suggested people “had so many proteins to choose from.” “Pick another protein?” incredulous Mississippians are heard saying in Colom’s feel-good video, set to the legendary disco bassline from “Good Times.” “I’d rather pick another senator instead,” they say.
– Personal –
The race also has a deeply personal dimension for Colom: Hyde-Smith had publicly boasted about how she had stymied the prosecutor’s ambitions. “He thought he was going to be a federal judge and I blocked him,” Hyde-Smith said at her reelection announcement event last year. Talking about his priorities in Washington, Colom has pledged to focus on cost of living, including Trump’s tariffs which are blamed for raising prices, as well as health care and corruption. “The bottom line is this is the beginning of a new direction for our state,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
