Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Mississippi’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom in a new campaign ad, saying the candidate will fight for higher wages, lower costs and better healthcare.

“Mississippi, it’s time for a change and that’s why you need to send Scott Colom to the U.S. Senate,” the former Democratic president said in a Monday campaign video.

Obama’s endorsement of Colom is significant because the former president has only doled out an endorsement for a Mississippi U.S. Senate candidate in one prior instance: when former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy challenged Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the 2018 Senate election called to complete the term of the deceased Thad Cochran. Both Colom and Espy are Black Democrats.

In the past, white Democrats in Mississippi have shied away from accepting endorsements from national Democrats like Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former President Joe Biden and former U.S. Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 

When former Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood was running for governor in 2019, he avoided connecting his campaign with the first Black president, only to send out robocalls targeting Black voters featuring a recording of Obama the night before the election. Hood ultimately lost the governor’s race to current Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who was the lieutenant governor beforehand. 

The 2023 Democratic candidate for governor, Brandon Presley, did not receive an endorsement from either Obama or then-President Joe Biden, though he accepted support from prominent Black Mississippians, including movie star Morgan Freeman and U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson—who led the congressional investigation into former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

During the 2008 special U.S. Senate election to replace Trent Lott, Democratic candidate and former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove only mentioned Obama when affirming that he planned to vote for the Democratic candidate. Musgrove, a moderate Democrat who often sided with conservatives, distanced himself from the Obama campaign. He was not endorsed by Obama and did not feature Obama in any photos or advertisements. The Mississippi Democrat lost that race to Roger Wicker, who has served in the seat ever since.

A collage of images of Scott Colom on the left, Ty Pinkins in the middle and Cindy Hyde-Smith on the right
Mississippi voters will choose a U.S. senator to represent the state in Congress in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (right), independent Ty Pinkins (middle) and Democrat Scott Colom (left)  will be on Mississippi voters’ ballots. MFP Photos Rogelio V. Solis, Nick Judin / AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Scott Colom has also secured endorsements from U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, D-NJ, Angela Alsobrooks, D-MD, Raphael Warnock, D-GA, and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-DE.

The Mississippi Democrat is running to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who secured her own presidential endorsement from Trump in 2025.

“Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is 100% MAGA, and doing a fantastic job representing the Incredible People of Mississippi!” he posted on his Truth Social platform. “Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Independent candidate Ty Pinkins is also running to be Mississippi’s next U.S. senator. He has not yet received any major endorsements from elected officials nationwide or statewide during this campaign. U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson endorsed Colom in February 2026, yet did not offer the same approval when Pinkins, as a Democrat, unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker in 2024. Pinkins switched from being a Democrat to an independent in 2025 when campaigning to unseat Hyde-Smith in the 2026 election.

“Money is the name of the game in American politics when you talk about the Republican Party and the Democratic Party,” Pinkins told the Mississippi Free Press when asked about endorsements on March 13, 2026. “Anybody is open to endorse whoever they want to endorse. Don’t endorse me (or) endorse me. That’s fine. That doesn’t negate my rights as an American citizen who meets the age and citizenship requirements to run for office.”

Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the 2026 elections and read past stories here. 

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State Reporter Heather Harrison has won more than a dozen awards for her multi-media journalism work. At Mississippi State University, she studied public relations and broadcast journalism, earning her Communication degree in 2023. For three years, Heather worked at The Reflector student newspaper: first as a staff reporter, then as the news editor and finally, as the editor-in-chief. This is where her passion for politics and government reporting began.
Heather started working at the Mississippi Free Press three days after graduation in 2023. She also worked part time for Starkville Daily News after college covering the Board of Aldermen meetings.
In her free time, Heather likes to sit on the porch, read books and listen to Taylor Swift. A native of Hazlehurst, she now lives in Brandon with her wife and their Boston Terrier, Finley, and calico cat, Ravioli.