GULFPORT, Miss.—As Scott Colom’s underdog challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith approaches crunch time, the Democrat is getting help from the national party as it turns its attention to Mississippi.
Colom was joined on Oct. 2 in Gulfport, Mississippi, by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to launch “Canvas With Colom,” the Colom campaign’s statewide get-out-the-vote effort. In March, Colom pointed out the Democratic primary’s high turnout numbers—only 7,000 votes short of the Republican primary—and has argued the turnout is proof he can compete with Hyde-Smith.
Booker said he believed no ongoing Senate race was more important than Mississippi’s.
“The story of Mississippi, I believe in the next 10 years, is going to be one of the most exciting stories in America, because it’s a state that says: ‘We deserve better,’” Booker said. “And I think they’re gonna change the destiny and I think you’re gonna start seeing it in the way people are voting.”
He said Mississippi’s race has become increasingly important on the national stage ahead of midterm elections, emphasizing an “urgency” to address issues like a lack of healthcare access, issues with prenatal and maternal care and the living wage in the state.
“I think for too long people have not paid attention to Mississippi,” Booker said.
The election featuring Colom, Hyde-Smith and independent candidate Ty Pinkins will be held on Nov. 3.
Democrat Attention Turns to Colom Campaign
The last time Mississippi was represented by a Democrat in the U.S. Senate was during the 1980s with John C. Stennis, whose tenure began in 1947 and retired in 1989.
And Mississippi has never elected a Black representative to the U.S. Senate since the ratification of the 17th Amendment, which allowed for the popular election of senators. The last time a Black man represented Mississippi in the Senate was during the tenures of Blanche K. Bruce and Hiram Revels during Reconstruction.
Further, Colom’s efforts haven’t moved political analysts. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the Center for Political Analysis’ nonpartisan political analysis group at the University of Virginia, lists Mississippi’s Senate race as “Safe R.” The Silver Bulletin, operated by political analyst and statistician Nate Silver, isn’t tracking any Mississippi polling and isn’t factoring in Mississippi as a state that may flip a Senate seat.
But Democrats see hope in Mississippi thanks to a series of competitive elections over the last several years, coupled with rising gas prices and President Donald Trump’s growing unpopularity.
Colom is a seventh-generation Mississippian and district attorney based in Columbus. His campaign has emphasized lowering costs for working families, supporting Mississippi’s hospitals, bringing more jobs to the state and working across party lines to get things done.
The Democratic National Committee spent millions of dollars ahead of this year’s midterm elections to control voter registration efforts that have traditionally been carried out by nonprofit organizations and individual campaigns, which are generally required to be nonpartisan. Despite the attention on Colom’s race, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has not committed any funds to Colom’s campaign.
But Colom has received support in other ways. On Oct. 12, former President Barack Obama appeared in a campaign ad encouraging Mississippians to vote for Colom. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks, D-MD, and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-DE, have both appeared with Colom, with Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-GA, scheduled to appear with Colom on Oct. 14. Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will appear with Colom at the end of October, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has asked Democratic donors to consider supporting Colom’s efforts.
Colom’s campaign has also seen increased grassroots support, raising $2.8 million through June and outraising incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith among individual contributors, though she has more cash on hand.
Gulfport Campaign Stop
The canvassing event on Friday at IBEW Union 903 in Gulfport came a month before the midterm elections and just a few days before the Oct. 5 voter registration deadline.
During the event, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker called Scott Colom a “proven leader” and the “right man for the job,” urging voters to make a difference by getting out to the polls on Election Day. He stated he’s backing Colom as a candidate for change in Mississippi and praised his background as a district attorney.
“What you do matters,” Booker said. “The power of the people is greater than the people in power.”
He also emphasized those in Mississippi who have lost their healthcare and are struggling with the rising cost of living.
“Americans are getting hurt,” he said. “There are people here in this state today who are rationing their medication because they can’t afford that and their rent. There are people working a full time job and then getting another one and catching an extra shift where they can because they can barely afford to put food on the table.”
He said right now, Mississippians are in the midst of an economic storm and called upon voters to question where they stand.
“We are in a storm,” Booker said. “It may not be wind and rain, but we’re in an economic storm unleashed by people who are in office becoming millionaires and billionaires themselves, while we are getting sicker and poorer in our communities.”
Throughout the event, Colom emphasized “Mississippi Matters” as the core message of his campaign.
“We’re gonna fight for higher wages,” Colom said. “We’re gonna fight for lower costs, and we’re gonna fight to save our healthcare and save our hospitals.
If elected, Colom said he hopes to “put more money in people’s pockets” by pushing to eliminate tariffs, stop the war in Iran and eliminate federal income tax on anyone making under $75,000 a year.
Colom said he hopes to increase access to affordable housing by incentivizing construction of more homes that are affordable and rural housing.
“We’ve got to democratize capital in our country,” Colom said. “We need to make sure our credit unions and our small rural banks have the resources they need so they can lend to people so they can get a home.”
Colom Faces Incumbent Hyde-Smith
To win the race for Senate, Scott Colom faces an uphill battle against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who currently leads in polls by about six points.
Colom has repeatedly criticized Hyde-Smith’s refusal to hold town halls and called on her to participate in a debate ahead of midterm elections. Hyde-Smith has not held any town halls this year.
“Scott Colom is backed by George Soros, Barack Obama, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren. When they tell you who they are, believe them,” Hyde-Smith’s campaign said on its Facebook page on Oct. 12.
Hyde-Smith has promoted protecting the unborn, securing America’s borders and supporting Second Amendment rights as her key policies heading into midterm elections.
She has also advocated to pass the SAVE America Act, federal legislation that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and proof of photo identification to cast a ballot in federal elections. She also supports Mississippi’s voter ID law.
After canvassing in Gulfport on Friday, Colom’s campaign also made more stops in Gulfport, Lucedale, and Moss Point on Saturday.
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