Mississippi Senate Race: $5 Million in Democratic Spending Challenges Red State

Mississippi has close to 40% Black voters, the highest share of any U.S. state. This demographic reality is driving a surge of campaign money into the U.S. Senate race as the election approaches on Nov. 3.

Democrats have spent about $5 million in the state this month. This exceeds the $3.2 million spent by Republicans. The funds arrive after years of minimal investment in the Magnolia state, which President Trump won by 23 points in 2024.

Scott Colom, the Democratic nominee, argues the party previously ignored the state. He told NPR that Democrats spent hundreds of millions of dollars in other conservative states like Iowa and Texas while spending almost nothing in Mississippi. Colom is challenging incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, who blocked his federal judge nomination during the Biden administration.

Campaign activity intensified in the final days before the election. Former Vice President Kamala Harris attended a rally for Colom in his hometown, where about 1,000 people gathered. Harris described the current administration as callous and incompetent. She urged voters to turn their anger into action in the 12 days remaining before the vote.

In Corinth, roughly 100 miles away, President Trump rallied with Hyde-Smith to motivate the Republican base. Trump warned that voters might stay home because Hyde-Smith is polling well, which could lead to bad outcomes. Hyde-Smith characterized the choice as socialism versus capitalism. Her campaign manager, Jake Monssen, expressed confidence that Mississippians would send her back to the Senate.

The Hyde-Smith campaign spent more than $1.3 million on an ad calling Colom the most radical Senate candidate in a lifetime. The ad notes that violent crime doubled in his district while he served as district attorney. Democrats countered by linking unpopular national leadership with local Republican candidates.

Historical hurdles remain steep. The last Democratic senator from Mississippi was elected in the early 1980s. Hyde-Smith won a special election in 2018 by about seven points. Republicans in the state have signaled plans to redraw state legislative and judicial maps after the midterms, a move Colom said aims to shift power from voters to leaders.