Colom takes victory by razor-thin margin in state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982

Democrat Scott Colom defeated Cindy Hyde-Smith, the incumbent Republican senator, to become the first Black senator in Mississippi elected since Reconstruction, in a stunning upset after more than a week of vote counting in one of the country’s most reliably red states.

Colom opened up a narrow lead over Hyde-Smith late on election night. His lead widened as election officials counted absentee and provisional ballots. The Associated Press called the contest on Wednesday, after it was clear Hyde-Smith was not able to close the gap.