Scott Colom, a Democrat, Wins Mississippi Senate Election

The last Black man to represent Mississippi in the Senate was born into slavery and left office in 1881.

Nearly a century and a half later, Scott Colom, a Democrat, defeated Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Republican of Mississippi, according to The Associated Press, delivering a remarkable upset on Wednesday and becoming the first Black person to be elected to the Senate in his state since the Reconstruction era.

Mr. Colom’s victory, which came by a slim margin after more than a week of ballot tallying following the Nov. 3 election, puts an exclamation point on the sweeping Democratic victories across the country during this year’s midterms. For Republicans, the outcome was a jarring rebuke in a reliably conservative stronghold.

“God didn’t want us to get it the easy way,” Mr. Colom told the crowd gathered outside the historic chapel at Tougaloo College, a Black college that served as a haven for civil rights organizers. “He wanted us to get it the Mississippi way.”

Hours before he took the stage, Ms. Hyde-Smith conceded in a video posted to social media. “While this is not the outcome we worked for or hoped for, I respect the decision of Mississippi voters,” she said in the video. Ms. Hyde-Smith congratulated Mr. Colom and said her campaign “worked tirelessly to ensure every legally cast vote was counted, and that the people of Mississippi received a fair and transparent election.”

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Supporters cheering at Mr. Colom’s election victory celebration at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss., on Wednesday.Credit...Ellen Schmidt/Associated Press

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