--- title: "Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race, becomes first Black senator elected by voters" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/scott-colom-wins-mississippi-senate-race-becomes-first-black-senator-elected-by" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/scott-colom-wins-mississippi-senate-race-becomes-first-black-senator-elected-by" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/scott-colom-wins-mississippi-senate-race-becomes-first-black-senator-elected-by.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/scott-colom-wins-mississippi-senate-race-becomes-first-black-senator-elected-by" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-11-12T20:45:42.060Z" source_reported: "2026-11-12T20:05:01.000Z" updated: "2026-11-12T20:45:42.060Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-12T20:30:35.147173+00:00" --- # Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race, becomes first Black senator elected by voters *Democrat's victory marks a historic moment, though two other Black men previously served the state in the Senate.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. One full report and 16 digests provide details on Scott Colom's election, with historical context from Senate and National Park Service websites. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. The full report clearly separates fact from comment and provides historical context for the election. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. The language used is measured and proportionate, with no sensationalism or clickbait. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Scott Colom, a Democrat, has won the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, defeating Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. - Colom will be the first Black senator from Mississippi to be elected by voters, rather than appointed by state lawmakers. - He is the first Black senator from Mississippi to serve in nearly 150 years, following Hiram Rhodes Revels and Blanche Kelso Bruce. - Revels was the first African American in Congress, taking his Senate seat in 1870, and Bruce was the first to serve a full term, seated in 1875. Democrat Scott Colom has won the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, defeating Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Colom's victory means he will be the first Black senator from Mississippi to be chosen by voters. He will also be the first Black senator from the state to serve in nearly 150 years. Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress, taking his Senate seat on February 25, 1870. Revels was selected by state legislators to fill a vacant seat. Blanche Kelso Bruce was later chosen by the Mississippi legislature to serve a full term, beginning in 1875. He was the only formerly enslaved person to serve in the U.S. Senate. The Senate did not have another Black member after Bruce until 1967, when Sen. Edward Brooke of Massachusetts took office. Brooke was the first Black person to be popularly elected to the Senate. ## Disagreement on the timeline While many reports state Colom is the first Black senator from Mississippi in nearly 150 years, Alpha TV reported that Mississippi gained a Black senator after 152 years. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention the specific date Scott Colom will take the oath of office, other than that it will be in January. The digests also do not provide details on the margin of victory or specific vote counts. ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (7) - Centre: 43% (6) - Right: 7% (1) 3 of 17 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-12T20:30:35.147173+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-12T21:15:21.975Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Six left-rated reports focused on Scott Colom's historic win as the first Black senator from Mississippi elected by voters. These reports highlighted that Colom will be the first in nearly 150 years to hold the position, with some mentioning the previous Black senators, Hiram Rhodes Revels and Blanche Kelso Bruce. Stuff, Channel 4, and Durango Herald were among the outlets that ran digests focusing on this aspect of the story. Bangor Daily News and The Hamilton Spectator also noted Colom's election as the first chosen by voters rather than state lawmakers. ### Centre - Seven centre-rated reports highlighted Scott Colom's victory as a historic event, noting he will be the first Black senator from Mississippi elected by voters and the first in nearly 150 years. My Mother Lode, WBAL, Joplin Globe, The Star Democrat, WPLG, Winnipeg Free Press, and The Record all published digests that stated Colom will be the first chosen by voters rather than state lawmakers. These reports also provided historical context, naming Hiram Rhodes Revels and Blanche Kelso Bruce as previous Black senators from Mississippi. ### Right - The single right-rated report, a digest from Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, stated that Scott Colom defeated Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and will be the first Black senator from Mississippi. It noted that Colom will not be the first Black senator from Mississippi to make history, but will be the first in nearly 150 years and the first chosen by voters rather than state lawmakers. **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. - high: 7 - unknown: 3 - veryHigh: 7 ## 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 - [Stuff](https://stuff.co.nz/world-news/361058983/scott-colom-makes-history-mississippi-two-other-black-men) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [Channel 4](https://channel4.com/news/mississippi-elects-first-black-senator-as-scott-colon-makes-history) — Mississippi elects first Black senator as Scott Colom makes history - [My Mother Lode](https://mymotherlode.com/news/national/us-government/11304005/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him.html) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [NYCTastemakers](https://nyctastemakers.com/mississippi-elects-their-first-black-us-senator) — Mississippi Elects Their First Black US Senator - [Alpha TV](https://alphatv.gr/kosmos/misisipi-mavros-gerousiastis-meta-apo-152-xronia) — Mississippi: Black Senator After 152 Years - [WBAL](https://wbal.com/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the - [Joplin Globe](https://joplinglobe.com/region/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years/article_13027af7-8cce-520a-961c-adae64bc1c6e.html) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [The Star Democrat](https://stardem.com/ap/nation/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years/article_034d6feb-5712-5133-8b1e-d00b352d5836.html) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [WPLG](https://local10.com/news/national/2026/11/12/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [Bangor Daily News](https://bangordailynews.com/2026/11/12/nation/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [Slate](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/11/who-was-mississippi-first-black-senator-scott-colom-win.html) — Lessons on Scott Colom’s Win From Mississippi’s First Black Senator - [shreveportbossieradvocate.com](https://shreveportbossieradvocate.com/news/state_politics/colom-takeaways-election-mississippi-senate/article_05e03f51-e2af-5e5d-a40a-8c55f9f94de1.html) — 5 key takeaways from Scott Colom’s historic win: Flipped counties, ‘pick another protein,’ more - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/11/12/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/news/world/united-states/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him/article_73a62838-ff67-55ef-b165-ee87e6a77c2b.html) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [The Record](https://therecord.com/news/world/united-states/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him/article_b4e24af2-7614-536c-bc6b-2731e4998dcf.html) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer](https://messenger-inquirer.com/ap/elections/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years/article_39f7a6d2-5deb-5cf1-a462-3e9792fea6c0.html) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him - [Durango Herald](https://durangoherald.com/articles/associated-press/scott-colom-makes-history-in-mississippi-two-other-black-men-did-the-same-150-years-before-him) — Scott Colom makes history in Mississippi. Two other Black men did the same 150 years before him ## Questions **Who is Scott Colom and what has he achieved?** Scott Colom is a Democrat who has won the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi. His victory makes him the first Black senator from Mississippi to be elected by voters and the first Black senator from the state in nearly 150 years. **Who were the previous Black senators from Mississippi?** Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress, taking his Senate seat in 1870. Blanche Kelso Bruce was the first African American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate, seated in 1875. Both were chosen by state lawmakers. **When will Scott Colom be sworn into the Senate?** According to the digests, Scott Colom is expected to take the oath of office for the U.S. Senate in January. The exact date is not specified in the provided coverage. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/scott-colom-wins-mississippi-senate-race-becomes-first-black-senator-elected-by. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race, becomes first Black senator elected by voters", https://mediabias.news/politics/scott-colom-wins-mississippi-senate-race-becomes-first-black-senator-elected-by