Mississippi Senate Race Remains Uncertain as Votes Count

The outcome of the Mississippi Senate race remains uncertain as votes continue to be counted. Democratic nominee Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by approximately 1,800 votes, but the race hinges on the processing of remaining ballots.

Lawyers for Hyde-Smith wrote to Mississippi officials on Thursday requesting the preservation of provisional ballots, signaling potential legal challenges. Colom’s campaign responded with its own letter objecting to the request.

The N.A.A.C.P. said that it had sent lawyers to Mississippi. Derrick Johnson, the group’s president and a resident of Jackson, Miss., said in a statement that his team was 'working around the clock in Mississippi to make sure voters who used provisional ballots are counted.'

The outcome of the race appears to hinge on what the state has said is an unknown number of affidavit ballots, cast by voters who were either listed as inactive or without proper identification. On Thursday, Michael Watson, the secretary of state, said roughly 3,300 absentee-by-mail ballots were also still outstanding. To count, they must be received within five days of November 3.