Scott Colom leads Cindy Hyde-Smith in uncalled Mississippi Senate race

Mississippi Senate election results remained unresolved on Thursday, with Democrat Scott Colom leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,813 votes in unofficial returns at 6:17 p.m. ET, according to the Associated Press figures reported by CNBC. The count stood at 951,744 ballots, and the narrow margin leaves the Senate contest uncalled while additional ballots are processed.

Colom, a district attorney, had 49.04% of counted votes, against 48.85% for Hyde-Smith, CNBC reported. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins had received 20,007 votes, or 2.1% of the tally.

The result is a later snapshot of a still-changing count. The BBC reported that Colom led by 1,138 votes on Wednesday evening, when 96% of votes had been counted. Neither figure represents a final result.

When will Mississippi finish counting Senate ballots?

A final outcome may not be known until next week. Mississippi accepts mail ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive within five business days, CNBC and the BBC reported. Election officials must also review provisional ballots, called affidavit ballots in the state, which are cast when there is a question about a voter’s identification or registration status, according to The Washington Post.

Estimates of outstanding ballots vary by category and reporting source. The Washington Post said the state Republican Party estimated 17,000 affidavit ballots remained, while the secretary of state’s office reported about 3,600 mail ballots had yet to be returned. CNBC separately reported an estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 provisional ballots requiring eligibility checks. Those estimates should not be treated as a single official total.

Julie Wronski, a University of Mississippi political-science professor, told the BBC that the closeness of the contest meant election officials would need to count all ballots received through the process. She said the race was unlikely to be called before at least November 10.

Why is there no automatic recount in Mississippi?

Mississippi has no automatic recount provision for close elections, CNBC reported. The BBC also reported that candidates cannot request recounts under the state’s procedures. The Washington Post said a candidate seeking to challenge a close result could bring a lawsuit over the treatment or validity of ballots, or ask the Senate to determine who should be seated.

Hyde-Smith’s campaign said in a Thursday post on X that it believed thousands of votes remained to be counted in Republican counties and expected those votes to return her to the Senate. That was a campaign assertion, not an announced result.

Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 and won a full term in 2020, according to CNBC. Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982. If Colom prevails, he would be the state’s first Black senator since the Reconstruction era, CNBC reported.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.