Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom and former President Bill Clinton wave at an audience during a rally at the Link Center in Tupelo, Miss., on Oct. 30, 2026. MFP Photo by Heather Harrison
Democrat Scott Colom’s lead over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith inched up further this morning to 1,936 votes after Bolivar County counted 184 more votes for Colom and 61 more for Hyde-Smith.
The Bolivar County Circuit Clerk’s Office said affidavit ballots have not been counted yet, however. With about 94% of votes counted in Bolivar County, Colom leads Hyde-Smith there by a 70%-29% margin. Statewide, Colom leads Hyde-Smith 49.1%-48.8%.
Thousands of affidavit ballots remain to be counted across the state, and more mail-in absentee ballots could still arrive.
Award-winning News Editor Ashton Pittman, a native of the South Mississippi Pine Belt, studied journalism and political science at the University of Southern Mississippi. Previously the state reporter at the Jackson Free Press, he drove national headlines and conversations with award-winning reporting about segregation academies. He has won numerous awards, including Outstanding New Journalist in the South, for his work covering immigration raids, abortion battles and even former Gov. Phil Bryant’s unusual work with “The Bad Boys of Brexit" at the Jackson Free Press. In 2021, as a Mississippi Free Press reporter, he was named the Diamond Journalist of the Year for seven southern U.S. states in the Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Awards. A trained photojournalist, Ashton lives in South Mississippi with his husband, William, and their two pit bulls, Dorothy and Dru.
