Is MS Senate Seat Still in Play? RNC, Cindy

After Tuesday’s midterm election, who knew that the Mississippi U.S. Senate race would change into a level of wrestle over whether or not Republicans can salvage another Senate seat? If the Republicans fail to do so, this would be the first turnover to Democrat control for Mississippi in 32 years, and will additional strengthen the already sizeable Democrat majority. 

Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith (R-MS) and her Democrat opponent, District Attorney Scott Colom, actually have 65 votes separating them, with Colom in the lead. What will tip the steadiness? Absentee and affidavit ballots, that are still being counted. According to Mississippi election law, these could be collected and counted up to 5 days after the election.  

At 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, with more than 945,000 votes counted across the state, the candidates are separated by only 65 votes, with Colom in the lead. The Associated Press stories 96% of the votes have been counted. In an interview with GWN, a consultant of the Colom marketing campaign said there’s believed to be up to 15,000 affidavit votes that have yet to be counted. And the counting of those affidavit votes may not be full until next week, as according to the Mississippi Secretary of State, a “voter casting an affidavit ballot because he/she did not present an acceptable form of photo ID may not have his/her ballot rejected for this reason if he/she presents an acceptable form of photo ID in the Circuit or Municipal Clerk’s Office within five business days after Election Day.” 

At 3 a.m., the New York Times live forecast for the race confirmed the outcome as a “tossup,” with an estimated margin of victory of +0.2 for Hyde-Smith. The vary of outcomes confirmed something between Hyde-Smith profitable by 1.6 factors and Colom by 1.1 as potential.

This now very real state of affairs is at the middle of the 5-4 Supreme Court choice in Watson v. RNC, where SCOTUS held that federal Election Day statutes don’t prohibit states from counting ballots postmarked by Election Day but acquired afterward under state law. 

As RedState reported:

Specifically, SCOTUS holds that federal election-day statutes do NOT preempt a Mississippi law that permits mail-in ballots to be counted as long as they’re postmarked by, and acquired within, 5 days of Election Day. 

RedState additional reported on Justice Samuel Alito’s dissent:

In his dissent, Justice Alito said the choice, “creates a serious risk of further undermining public confidence in our elections and our system of self-government.”

And right here we’re. 

Colom and his supporters are declaring victory, while concurrently embedding the narrative that, ought to he lose, it may possibly only be because of voter suppression.

⚠️ Republicans are taking the first step in a probably bid to throw out votes in Mississippi’s extraordinarily close U.S. Senate race. A victory for Democrat Scott Colom would symbolize a important upset in the state’s Republican-dominated politics: https://t.co/hkrijdVh56 https://t.co/d1z0ksdiSi

— Democracy Docket (@DemocracyDocket) November 6, 2026

Attorneys for the Colom camp responded to the RNC’s demand with a letter claiming the transfer is “unlawful”.

NEW: Today, legal counsel for the Scott Colom for Senate marketing campaign issued a letter to all 82 Mississippi Counties, their Election Commissioners, and their Circuit Clerks to make clear the NRSC’s and Cindy Hyde-Smith’s demand to segregate affidavit ballots is illegal. READ⬇️

— Gerard (@Gerard_Hen) November 5, 2026

Magnolia Tribune Editor-at-Large, Frank Corder, posted an excerpt from the letter in an X post:

Democrat Scott Colom’s marketing campaign on the @MSGOP and the National Republican Senatorial Committee sending letters to County Election Commissioners and Circuit Clerks in Mississippi demanding they separate and protect all affidavit ballots. “This desperate stunt from national Republicans is what you do when you know you’re about to lose a race. We’re confident that when every lawful ballot is counted, Scott Colom will be Mississippi’s next U.S. senator.”

You can read the letter right here.

On the other hand, the Mississippi GOP, the RNC Election Integrity Unit, and Hyde-Smith’s marketing campaign are making preemptive strikes to secure the affidavit ballots from each county, and have them sequestered before they’re counted.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is sending a letter to County Election Commissioners and Circuit Clerks in Mississippi demanding they separate and protect all affidavit ballots. The @MSGOP is holding a press convention in Hinds County in a little over an hour. https://t.co/iJvE6Cofgu

— Frank Corder (@frankcorder) November 5, 2026

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is sending a letter to County Election Commissioners and Circuit Clerks in Mississippi demanding they separate and protect all affidavit ballots.

The @MSGOP is holding a press convention in Hinds County in a little over an hour.

The demand letter detailed three directives for treatment of the affidavit ballots. In temporary:

1. Maintain all affidavit ballots individually from common and absentee ballots.

2. Document each poll’s disposition.

3. Preserve all related supplies and custody data. 

Here’s the full letter the National Republican Senatorial Committee despatched to County Election Commissioners and Circuit Clerks in Mississippi relating to the Senate race. @MSGOP https://t.co/ruSEABOlLy

— Frank Corder (@frankcorder) November 5, 2026

On Thursday, Mississippi Republican Party Chairman and RNC General Counsel Mike Hurst held the presser, and declared:

The Mississippi Republican Party and the RNC have constructed an unimaginable election integrity program for actual moments like this.

The MSGOP has been working intently with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s marketing campaign, the RNC, the NRSC and the NRLA to guarantee that every vote is counted and every vote is protected throughout this course of. 

WATCH:

🚨 The RNC and @MSGOP have legal professionals and observers on the ground in Mississippi. RNC General Counsel @MikeHurstMS: “The Mississippi Republican Party and the RNC have built an incredible election integrity operation for moments like this…” https://t.co/95n5RRZ10e

— RNC Election Integrity (@RNCVoteProtect) November 5, 2026

Hurst additional said:

Our attorneys and observers, proper now, are documenting developments, preserving information and evidence, and recording every step of what occurred on Election Day, and what has occurred since Election Day. So that we will probably be prepared, if needed, to avail ourselves of every legal option at our disposal if there’s evidence that the law has been violated. 

At the end of the day, if the information show that our legal guidelines weren’t adopted, we will probably be prepared to act swiftly, and we is not going to hesitate to maintain election officers accountable.

WATCH:

In other phrases the Mississippi Secretary of State purging 130,000+ people from voter rolls AND Ty Pinkins was supposed to be enough to STEAL the election and they still misplaced. They don’t perceive how Colom still was in a position to win and by 1000’s of votes. pic.twitter.com/mZiZeD4Vq6

— SheLovesThee 🎀 (@SheLoves_Thee) November 5, 2026

Hyde-Smith’s marketing campaign posted this to her X account.

Cindy Hyde-Smith goes to symbolize Mississippi in the United States Senate for the next six years. We imagine 1000’s of votes stay to be counted from dozens of Republican counties, and we’re assured those votes will reinforce her path to victory. Election officers are persevering with the traditional course of of counting excellent ballots, including absentee ballots. They must have the time to full that work and guarantee every lawful poll is precisely counted and every Mississippian’s voice is heard. We anticipate Democratic legal professionals to pull out every stop, and we’re ready. Our focus is on finishing the rely and returning Cindy Hyde-Smith to the Senate to keep preventing for Mississippi values.

— Cindy Hyde-Smith (@cindyhydesmith) November 5, 2026

Cindy Hyde-Smith goes to symbolize Mississippi in the United States Senate for the next six years. We imagine 1000’s of votes stay to be counted from dozens of Republican counties, and we’re assured those votes will reinforce her path to victory.

Election officers are persevering with the traditional course of of counting excellent ballots, including absentee ballots. They must have the time to full that work and guarantee every lawful poll is precisely counted and every Mississippian’s voice is heard.

We anticipate Democratic legal professionals to pull out every stop, and we’re ready. Our focus is on finishing the rely and returning Cindy Hyde-Smith to the Senate to keep preventing for Mississippi values.

This is a developing story. RedState will provide updates as they change into out there.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will decide the destiny of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must keep control of both chambers of Congress.

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