National coverage follows independent polling showing Colom within 3 points of Hyde-Smith

New York Times documents Mississippi Republican backing for Colom’s blocked federal judgeship, including Sen. Wicker and two former GOP governors

New York Times: March Democratic primary turnout nearly matched GOP contest, “a notable difference from previous years” – MORE HERE

District Attorney Colom on MS NOW’s Weekend Primetime: “We’re not a deep red state”

WATCH HERE: District Attorney Scott Colom on MS NOW’s Weekend Primetime

Columbus, MS — In case you missed it, over a 24-hour stretch this weekend the 2026 Mississippi Senate race between District Attorney Scott Colom and Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith drew national media attention from two major outlets, underscoring the race’s growing competitiveness following independent polling showing a tightening contest.

On Sunday morning, the New York Times published a feature by Chief Washington Correspondent Carl Hulse documenting the cross-party Mississippi support that backed Colom’s blocked federal judicial nomination, the surge in March Democratic primary turnout that nearly matched the GOP contest, and Senator Hyde-Smith’s record of votes that have deepened the crisis facing Mississippi’s rural hospitals. Hours later, Colom joined MS NOW’s Weekend Primetime for a live national interview, highlighting his campaign’s growing momentum and viability, unpacking Mississippi’s political trajectory, and calling out Hyde-Smith’s break with Mississippi’s bipartisan Senate tradition of senators who delivered for the state.

[Read the full New York Times report HERE.]

The weekend’s coverage extends a stretch of national attention to Colom’s campaign that included The Bulwark’s April 29 embed report by Lauren Egan, “Don’t Eyeroll: Dems Have Mississippi in Their Sights,” in which longtime Democratic strategist James Carville told Egan of Scott’s chances: “It would take a unique set of circumstances, but we just might be operating under a unique set of circumstances.”

See highlights from the New York Times and MS NOW below:

The New York Times: In Mississippi, a Democrat Challenges the Senator Who Blocked His Judgeship (Carl Hulse)

May 3, 2026

On Bipartisan Support for Scott’s 2023 Judicial Nomination:

• Despite Ms. Hyde-Smith’s objection, Mr. Colom’s judicial nomination had significant support from other Mississippi Republicans, including the senior G.O.P. senator, Roger Wicker, as well as two former Republican governors, Haley Barbour and Phil Bryant. The Colom family has long ties to Republican leaders in the state.

On Mississippi’s Democratic Primary Turnout Surge:

• [P]arty strategists have seen signs that give them glimmers of hope, including a surge in primary turnout in the state in March that saw nearly as many people vote in the Senate Democratic contest as the Republican one — a notable difference from previous years. They also point to ongoing voter registration campaigns they believe could aid the Democrat.

On Mississippi as Part of National Democrats’ Expanded Senate Map:

• Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer: “This is a good year to expand the map, and Mississippi is a long shot. Still, if its ever going to be doable, this is the year.”
• DSCC Chair Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on the prospect of Colom unseating the senator who blocked him from the federal bench: “poetic justice.”

Scott on Hyde-Smith’s Vote to Cut Medicaid Funding for Rural Hospitals:

• [H]e said Ms. Hyde-Smith’s opposition had led him to play closer attention to her record and that he did not like what he saw, including her votes against an infrastructure bill and for the major Republican policy law enacted last year that cut funding for safety net programs like Medicaid — a major source of health care in the state — to help pay for large tax cuts.
• District Attorney Colom: “We are already in a situation where our rural hospitals are in terrible shape. We are already in a crisis, and she made it worse. We can’t afford this type of leadership in D.C.”

District Attorney Colom on MS NOW’s Weekend Primetime (Elise Jordan, Ayman Mohyeldin and Catherine Rampell)

May 3, 2026

On Hyde-Smith Blocking Scott’s Judicial Confirmation:

• Listen, zero is about personal motivation. I’m a Christian. I forgive Cindy Hyde-Smith. My campaign is centered on the voters of Mississippi.

On Mississippi’s Political Trajectory:

• We’re not a deep red state. Look at the primary election results. We increased turnout by 90 percent. We closed the gap between the Democratic primary voters and the Republican primary voters by 20 points. An independent poll came out showing us within 3 points of beating Cindy Hyde-Smith. And that’s not about me as a campaign. It’s about the voters of Mississippi wanting to go in a new direction.

On Hyde-Smith’s Break with Mississippi’s Bipartisan Senate Tradition:

• We have a tradition in Mississippi of having senators like Thad Cochran and Trent Lott who delivered for our state. They understood their first responsibility was jobs, resources, making sure our state is better. Cindy Hyde-Smith has totally betrayed that. She voted against the infrastructure bill that brought billions of dollars to Mississippi. Just recently there were rural airports bragging about getting $20 million from Senator Wicker. You know who couldn’t brag about it? Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, because she voted against the money.

On the Dire State of Mississippi’s Rural Hospitals:

• I was at a hospital in Marshall County. It has a doorbell. You have to ring the doorbell to get in. Mississippi deserves better than that. The first thing we have to do is cancel those Medicaid cuts. We have to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, eight rural hospitals are going to close.

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