Mississippi Senate Race Remains Uncalled With No Formal Recount Process

The race for the U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi remains undecided as of Wednesday morning, with Democrat Scott Colom holding a lead of 1,138 votes over incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. With 96% of the expected vote counted, Colom has received 464,926 votes, while Hyde-Smith has 463,788. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins trails with 19,934 votes, representing 2.1% of the total.

Mississippi’s Secretary of State Office confirmed that the state has no formal recount process to resolve the narrow margin. Unlike other states, candidates in Mississippi cannot request a recount, nor is a recount automatically triggered by a close result. The office stated that candidates may perform a ballot box exam to review ballot materials after the election is certified. If issues are found during that exam, a candidate can file a legal challenge to contest the results.

The margin of victory is slim enough that every remaining ballot could change the outcome. Mississippi allows mail ballots to arrive up to five business days after the election, a deadline set for Nov. 10, 2026. These ballots must have been postmarked on or before Election Day. In addition to mail ballots, provisional ballots, known locally as affidavit ballots, are still being processed. Affidavit ballots allow residents to vote even if their address is not found in the poll book at their precinct.

Colom’s campaign manager estimated on Tuesday night that approximately 15,000 provisional ballots remain to be counted. However, the Secretary of State’s office said that there is no definitive number for the remaining affidavit ballots. Secretary of State Michael Watson provided a Wednesday afternoon update stating that around 3,600 outstanding mail ballots could still be received within the next five business days. He noted that an unknown number of affidavit ballots will be processed within the 10-day window counties have to certify their results. The state certification deadline is Nov. 13.

The tight race has surprised many political observers given Mississippi’s strong Republican lean. The state voted for President Donald Trump with 61% of the vote in 2024. Hyde-Smith won her previous Senate bid in 2020 with 54% of the vote, two years after taking office by appointment in 2018. Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1982.

Scott Colom serves as the district attorney for four counties along the Mississippi-Alabama border. He is also a former nominee for a U.S. District judge position. If he wins the Senate seat, he would become Mississippi’s first Black U.S. Senator since the Reconstruction era. His opponent, Cindy Hyde-Smith, is the incumbent Republican senator.

President Donald Trump held a rally with Hyde-Smith last month to bolster support for the incumbent. Hyde-Smith spoke at the event ahead of the president, describing her opponent with strong language. "My opponent, Scott Colom, is the most radical Senate candidate to run for Mississippi, literally, in our lifetimes," Hyde-Smith said during the rally.

Colom addressed the rally from a press conference held before the event. He commented on the logistical challenges for supporters attending the gathering. "A lot of folks ain't gonna be able to make this rally because they can't afford the gas to get up here," Colom said. The race now hinges on the final count of the remaining mail and affidavit ballots before the Nov. 13 certification date.

The Secretary of State’s office continues to process the final batches of votes. Counties have until Nov. 13 to certify their results. The ballot box exam remains the only procedural tool available to candidates who believe errors occurred during the initial count. No legal challenges have been filed yet regarding the preliminary results.