--- title: "Democrat Scott Colom leads Mississippi Senate race by just over 1,000 votes" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/democrat-scott-colom-leads-mississippi-senate-race-by-just-over-1000-votes" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/democrat-scott-colom-leads-mississippi-senate-race-by-just-over-1000-votes" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/democrat-scott-colom-leads-mississippi-senate-race-by-just-over-1000-votes.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/democrat-scott-colom-leads-mississippi-senate-race-by-just-over-1000-votes" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-11-05T20:25:13.286Z" source_reported: "2026-11-05T19:04:15.000Z" updated: "2026-11-05T20:25:13.286Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-05T19:35:14.234Z" --- # Democrat Scott Colom leads Mississippi Senate race by just over 1,000 votes *With 96% of ballots counted, thousands of absentee and affidavit votes remain, and a win would end a four‑decade Democratic drought in the state.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named bodies and specific figures given with origin stated. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Quotes or right of reply given to affected parties, and fact kept separate from comment. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headline promises more than the body delivers, with mild emphasis. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde‑Smith by just over 1,000 votes with 96% of ballots counted. - Around 3,600 absentee ballots and several thousand affidavit ballots remain uncounted, postponing a final result. - A Colom victory would end more than 40 years without a Democratic senator from Mississippi. - The race highlights Hyde‑Smith’s earlier block of Colom’s federal judgeship nomination. Mississippi’s U.S. Senate contest has tightened to a margin of just over 1,000 votes, with Democrat Scott Colom ahead of Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde‑Smith as of Thursday morning. The count stands at 96% of total votes, according to the state’s secretary of state. Secretary of State Michael Watson said roughly 3,600 absentee ballots and several thousand affidavit ballots are still outstanding. State law provides no automatic recount for such a narrow gap, and candidates may not request a recount, leaving the final outcome dependent on the remaining votes. Colom’s campaign noted an “army of lawyers” is monitoring the count to ensure legal compliance, and the candidate said he is “very happy with where we stand.” The incumbent’s campaign expressed confidence that a full count will reaffirm Hyde‑Smith’s re‑election. > "I am very happy with where we stand," Colom said. > > — Scott Colom, Democratic candidate ## Reported vote margin The BBC reported that Colom leads by just over 1,000 votes, while Thought Catalog gave a figure of roughly 1,700 votes. Both outlets agree the race is extremely close, but they differ on the exact size of the lead. **3,600** — Outstanding absentee ballots (Number reported by Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson) ## What the coverage left out None of the left‑rated digests mention the 3,600 absentee ballots that remain outstanding. The right‑rated digest does not note that Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator in over 40 years. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (6) - Centre: 22% (2) - Right: 11% (1) 1 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-05T19:35:14.234Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-05T22:15:15.137Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Five left‑rated outlets, Raw Story, TVA Nouvelles, The Advocate, theGrio and them, all highlighted the irony that Hyde‑Smith previously blocked Colom’s federal judgeship nomination and that his current lead could reverse that outcome. They stressed the historic nature of a potential Democratic win after more than four decades and framed the race as a surprise victory for the Democratic Party. ### Centre - The BBC’s full report led on the precise vote count, the 96% tally, and the exact number of absentee and affidavit ballots still pending. It noted the lack of automatic recounts and quoted political scientists and campaign officials about the need to count every vote. The Hill’s digest reinforced the narrow lead and the presence of thousands of mail ballots. ### Right - Times of India’s digest focused on the procedural “Blue Slip” controversy, describing the race as a messy episode for the GOP and emphasizing how the Senate’s informal tradition could affect future judicial nominations. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 3 - high: 6 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Thought Catalog](https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2026/11/cindy-hyde-smith-blocked-scott-coloms-federal-judgeship-now-he-narrowly-leads-her-in-mississippis-senate-race) — Cindy Hyde-Smith Blocked Scott Colom’s Federal Judgeship. Now He Narrowly Leads Her in Mississippi’s Senate Race - [Times of India](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/hyde-smith-vs-colom-why-mississippi-senate-race-got-messy-for-gop-the-blue-slip-twist-explained/videoshow/135585061.cms) — Hyde-Smith vs Colom: Why Mississippi Senate race got messy for GOP! The ‘Blue Slip’ twist explained - [Daily Kos](https://dailykos.com/stories/2026/11/5/800123326/elections/mississippi-senate-colom-hyde-smith) — Democrat expands lead in Mississippi Senate race - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/mississippi-senators) — ‘Fun fact’: Dana Bash amused as GOP senator's Biden-era block may now cost her Senate seat - [TVA Nouvelles](https://tvanouvelles.ca/2026/11/05/mi-mandat-scott-colom-le-democrate-du-mississippi-qui-pourrait-signer-une-victoire-surprise) — Mid-Term Elections: Scott Colom, the Mississippi Democrat Who Could Sign a Surprise Victory - [theGrio](https://thegrio.com/2026/11/05/scott-colom-could-make-history-in-mississippi-after-facing-off-against-the-senator-who-blocked-his-judicial-nomination) — Scott Colom could make history in Mississippi after facing off against the senator who blocked his judicial nomination - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6201459-colom-leads-hyde-smith-mississippi) — Democrat Scott Colom adds to lead in Mississippi Senate ballot counting - [The Advocate](https://advocate.com/politics/cindy-hyde-smith-blocked-scott-colom) — Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked Scott Colom from becoming a judge for being pro-trans. Now, he might take her Senate seat - [them.](https://them.us/cindy-hyde-smith-blocked-scott-colom-from-becoming-a-judge-for-being-pro-trans-now-he-might-take-her-senate-seat) — Cindy Hyde-Smith Blocked Scott Colom From Becoming a Judge for Being Pro-Trans. Now, He Might Take Her Senate Seat - [BBC News](https://bbc.com/news/articles/c6n9rwxlx992o) — Democrat ahead in Mississippi by just over 1,000 votes in surprisingly tight race for Senate ## Questions **How large is Scott Colom's lead over Cindy Hyde‑Smith?** The BBC says the lead is just over 1,000 votes, while Thought Catalog reports it as roughly 1,700 votes. Both sources agree the margin is narrow and the race remains undecided. **What ballots are still pending in the Mississippi Senate count?** Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson reported about 3,600 absentee ballots and several thousand affidavit ballots are still outstanding, meaning the final result will not be known until those are counted. **Why is this race historically significant for Mississippi?** A victory for Colom would end more than four decades without a Democratic senator from Mississippi, a state that has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1989. **What procedural issue does the Times of India highlight?** The Times of India digest draws attention to the Senate’s “Blue Slip” tradition, an informal process that lets home‑state senators influence federal judicial nominations, and describes the race as a messy development for the GOP. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/democrat-scott-colom-leads-mississippi-senate-race-by-just-over-1000-votes. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Democrat Scott Colom leads Mississippi Senate race by just over 1,000 votes", https://mediabias.news/politics/democrat-scott-colom-leads-mississippi-senate-race-by-just-over-1000-votes