“Colom promised to work across the aisle if it results in legislation bettering everyday life in Mississippi – especially in regard to healthcare, a category the state consistently ranks among the worst in”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2025

Columbus, MS — Yesterday, seventh-generation Mississippian and District Attorney Scott Colom launched his U.S. Senate campaign against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, focusing on raising wages, ending income tax for teachers and cops, saving Mississippi’s hospitals, and always putting Mississippi first. 

Reporting highlighted how Scott “aims to differentiate himself from Hyde-Smith by prioritizing Mississippi’s needs over party politics” and his “94 percent conviction rate as District Attorney […] clos[ing] a significant number of cold cases and successfully prosecut[ing] more than 15 high-profile murder cases.”

In case you missed it: 

WCIB: Scott Colom announced he’s officially running for U.S. Senate

WTVA: Colom launches U.S. Senate campaign

Associated Press: Democratic prosecutor Scott Colom announces US Senate race in Mississippi
By Sophie Bates
September 3, 2025

• “Her last vote is going to run up our debt, kick over 100,000 Mississippians off their healthcare and put our hospitals at risk all so billionaires in California and New York can get a tax break,” Colom said of Hyde-Smith in his announcement video. “That’s not who I am.”
   
• Colom also said he would fight to eliminate income taxes for teachers and law enforcement and boost wages for Mississippians.
   

Mississippi Free Press: Cindy Hyde-Smith Blocked Scott Colom’s Judicial Nomination. Now He’s Running Against Her for US Senate.
By Heather Harrison
September 3, 2025

• Democrat Scott Colom is promising a “Mississippi first” approach to everything from health care to taxes if voters elect him to the U.S. Senate.
   
• He says he won’t look at policy through a Republican, Democratic or bipartisan lens.
   
• “What they talk to me about is the rise in grocery costs, the fact that the minimum wage is ridiculous, that they haven’t gotten a raise since the Afghanistan war, and they’re very, very worried about the health care and they’re worried about the hospitals,” Colom continued. “So as the senator, I’m going to focus on the solutions that they’re concerned about.”
   
• Colom said one of the many reasons why he was running for U.S. Senate is due to his frustration with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s voting record, particularly mentioning how she voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act that helped address the Jackson water crisis—legislation that her Mississippi Republican colleague, Sen. Wicker, supported.

Clarion Ledger: 2026 US Senate race in MS gets more crowded with another entry. See who
By Grant McLaughlin
September 3, 2025

• Colom aims to differentiate himself from Hyde-Smith by prioritizing Mississippi’s needs over party politics and has outlined key policy positions including raising the minimum wage and adjusting tax policies.
   
• “I’m a Mississippi Democrat,” Colom said. “That’s my focus. I think that we’ve got to have senators that focus on what’s best for their state, regardless as to who’s in Washington D.C.”

Washington Post Early Brief: ‘We have to communicate that we are against crime’
By Dan Merica and Matthew Choi
September 4, 2025

• “I am not going to take a back seat to anyone when it comes to crime,” Scott Colom, a district attorney in Mississippi who announced a campaign against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith this week, told us. “But I also know the best way to prevent crime is a job and education.”
   
• Colom is looking to oust the Mississippi Republican (who blocked him from becoming a U.S. district judge in 2023) with a tough-on-crime message that reflects his law enforcement background. His announcement video shows images of him with police officers, touts his 94 percent trial win rate and heralds officers who “put their lives on the line for us.”

NBC News: Democrat Scott Colom launches longshot Mississippi Senate run
By Bridget Bowman
September 3, 2025

• Democrat Scott Colom, a district attorney, launched a campaign for Senate in Mississippi today, arguing that he could put the deep-red state in play next year and suggesting that GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith” puts D.C. politics above what’s best for us.”
   
• Colom told NBC News in an interview yesterday ahead of his launch that Hyde-Smith’s vote for Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending law, known as the “big beautiful bill,” was the “final betrayal.” Colom said that tax cuts for ultra-wealthy Americans would not benefit most Mississippians, and cuts to Medicaid could threaten health care for tens of thousands of residents.
   
• “All they talk about is grocery prices still out of control. What about getting that lower? Why don’t we have a senator fighting for consistent tariff policy? When are we ever going to get a raise in the minimum wage? … What are we going to do for our teachers and cops? What’s this I’m hearing about a hospital might be closing?” Colom added. “Those are the issues I hear about.”

The Commercial Dispatch: Colom announces Senate run for Hyde-Smith’s seat
By Emma McRae
September 3, 2025

• Hinged on a commitment to champion state needs over “D.C. politics,” 16th Circuit Court District Attorney Scott Colom officially announced today his bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
   
• Colom, a Democrat, said he will run on a “common sense” platform focused on issues that affect Mississippians rather than advance a political agenda – a direct challenge to what he sees as Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s party-first voting record.
   
• Prosecuting violent crime and maintaining transparency with the public have been key goals of Colom’s during his time in the district attorney’s office, which he said has maintained a 94% conviction rate since 2015.

SuperTalk Mississippi Media: Columbus-based DA Scott Colom announces U.S. Senate run for 2026
By J.T. Mitchell
September 3, 2025

• Using the video to share policy ideas such as boosting wages and eliminating income tax on teachers and law enforcement while also taking jabs at Hyde-Smith, Colom promised to work across the aisle if it results in legislation bettering everyday life in Mississippi – especially in regard to healthcare, a category the state consistently ranks among the worst in.
   
• “I will work with anyone, from any party, to save Mississippi’s hospitals, which Cindy Hyde-Smith put on the chopping block. Look, I’m tired of Mississippi getting the short end of the stick. I know we can do better,” he continued.

Vicksburg News: District Attorney Scott Colom launches U.S. Senate bid against Cindy Hyde-Smith

• Colom, a seventh-generation Mississippian, says he is running to prioritize families, healthcare, and economic opportunity in the state.
   
• Colom boasts a 94 percent conviction rate as District Attorney. Since taking office in 2015 he has closed a significant number of cold cases and successfully prosecuted more than 15 high-profile murder cases. His office also secured a 105-year sentence for the perpetrator in a kidnapping and rape case at Mississippi State University and helped hold a corrupt sheriff accountable.
   

Mississippi Today: Democratic DA Scott Colom announces U.S. Senate run against Hyde-Smith
By Taylor Vance
September 3, 2025

• In an interview with Mississippi Today ahead of his announcement, Colom said he intends to cast Hyde-Smith’s voting record as prioritizing “D.C. politics” instead of hard-working Mississippians, including her vote for the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that slashed social safety net programs and provided tax cuts for the wealthy. 
   
• “Mississippi needs a senator who’s going to put Mississippi first,” Colom said.

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