Scott Colom became the first Black U.S. Senator from Mississippi since the Civil War, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in a nail-biter election that reshapes the state's political landscape.
Yesterday, election officials in Hinds County, the state's most populous Democratic stronghold, certified the final results, giving Colom a lead of more than 5,000 votes with 99 percent of ballots counted.
His victory ends a 150-year gap since Blanche Bruce last represented Mississippi in the Senate and signals a shift in a state where Democratic representation at the federal level has long been dominated by white officials.
The win adds to a wave of Democratic gains in the midterms, expanding the party's Senate advantage and reshaping the balance of power in Congress.