Colom extends slim lead in Mississippi Senate race as Hinds County finishes absentee and affidavit ballots

Democrat Scott Colom extended his lead in the Mississippi Senate race against incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) as counting of remaining late ballots continued on Tuesday, according to multiple news outlets that cited Associated Press results. AP called the race for Colom as his margin widened to nearly 4,500 votes, roughly half a percentage point, after a new batch of votes was added to the total.

The latest movement in the count came as Hinds County, which includes the state’s capital area and is described in the reporting as heavily Democratic, wrapped up its tabulation of absentee and affidavit ballots. Those ballots are typically processed after Election Day, and counties often update statewide totals in stages as results are certified and transmitted.

In the AP call described by The Hill, Colom’s expanding advantage tracked with the completion of this phase of Hinds County’s vote counting. The reporting focused on how late-in-the-count ballots from a single large county continued to shift the statewide margin as officials finished processing affidavits and absentee ballots.

With the race close, the vote tally remains sensitive to remaining batches, including any additional late-arriving returns that may still be pending depending on state canvassing and certification procedures. Mississippi election results continue to be updated as counties complete their tabulation and as the state’s election administration incorporates certified figures.

For Hyde-Smith’s campaign, continued counting through late-ballot processing is part of the post-Election Day timeline in Mississippi, where absentee and affidavit ballots can affect tight margins. For Colom, the practical effect of this tranche of counting was to increase his lead from what earlier reporting described as slim to a margin that is closer to but still within the range of closely managed statewide rechecks.

AP’s decision to call the race means major national reporting has moved toward treating Colom as the apparent winner pending the completion of official state canvassing steps. Still, certification processes can vary in timing and scope, and the final official result depends on the state’s completion of required election administration procedures.