Ty Pinkins, the independent candidate in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate election, has been making the media rounds since Election Day, arguing that his third-party bid helped Democratic candidate Scott Colom by siphoning votes from the Republican incumbent, Cindy Hyde-Smith.
But many are questioning Pinkins’ statements and motives, and citing his own comments during the campaign as reasons why.
Journalist and podcaster Roland Martin grilled Pinkins about that stance in an interview published to YouTube on Nov. 9. Martin expressed bewilderment and frustration with Pinkins’ answers, at one point leaving his desk and going off camera entirely.
Colom maintains a slim margin over Hyde-Smith as of Tuesday afternoon. Pinkins has earned a little over 20,000 votes.
Whistleblower
During the interview, Ty Pinkins explained he decided to run as an independent because of his experiences in the Democratic Party and his frustrations with the two-party system. He also said that the only time a Republican has been held below 50% in a U.S. Senate race was in 1978 and 2018. Both races featured an independent candidate. Pinkins argued that the only chance a Democrat had in the race was if an independent ran to hold Hyde-Smith under 50%.
Ty Pinkins said that an April poll informed him that of those who said they would vote for him after learning about all the candidates, 70% of those leaned Republican.
However, Roland Martin pushed back on Pinkins, pointing out Pinkins’ appearance with interviewer Clay Cane in July. Pinkins told Cane that he was “the only candidate in this race who did not vote the Republican ticket in the 2024 presidential primaries.” Pinkins said Mississippi has open primaries, and President Donald Trump, then a Republican candidate, was on that ballot.
Colom appeared on Cane’s show the following week. Colom acknowledged voting in the Republican primary as a “strategic voter,” as neither President Joe Biden nor Ty Pinkins—that year’s Democratic nominee for Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race in Mississippi—had no primary opposition. Colom said he saw a “dangerous” candidate running in the Republican primary and voted for incumbent Republican Roger Wicker. Colom did not specify which of Wicker’s primary opponents he was speaking about, whether it was Dan Eubanks or Ghannon Burton. Colom also said he left the presidential ballot blank.
Pinkins said during his interview with Cane that “a whistleblower” in the Mississippi Democratic Party sent him this information about Colom. “The candidate that the Mississippi Democrats knowingly put in front of Black voters in the state that has the highest percentage of Black voters—they knowingly put a candidate in front of them that knowingly voted the Republican ticket in the 2024 presidential primaries.”
Cane himself on Nov. 6 expressed confusion about Pinkins’ claims regarding supporting Colom and says Pinkins sent the very information he discussed on his program. “I have screenshots of him posting about my interview back in July. He also sent out a big text (on) Election Day, ‘When voting today, remember that Scott Colom voted in the Republican primary in 2024. Colom and his family have donated thousands of dollars to conservative Republican politicians.”
“I do not like it that Ty Pinkins appears to be trying to take credit for the work Scott Colom did,” Cane said.
‘Say What?’
Roland Martin asked about Ty Pinkins’ appearance on Cane’s show in July. Pinkins said his appearance on the show was “a coordinated effort” after he receiving information from someone within the Mississippi Democratic Party, including an anonymous letter with “stuff about Colom’s voting record.” Pinkins alleged he received two emails and a phone call telling him he was in the best position to release that information “because I was running against him and her.”
Martin asked whether the people who gave Pinkins that information did so with the guise of helping or hurting Colom. Pinkins said it was to help him.
Pinkins said that other candidates also received the letter, and said “What me releasing it—I think, from their perspective—was protecting (Colom) in case someone else who may have gotten it released it.”
“Say what?” Martin responded incredulously. “That makes no sense.”
At one point, Martin pointed out Pinkins’ Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity trophy. Martin said he, too, is a member of the fraternity and said Colom is a member as well. “Did you ever call Scott and say, ‘Frat, hey, here’s how I see this thing. This is why I’m going to sit here and stay in the race?’
Pinkins said he only spoke to Colom campaign representatives after Colom entered the race and that Colom didn’t answer his direct calls. Pinkins said he crossed paths with Colom at the Neshoba County Fair and spoke briefly when they were coming off the stage. When Martin asked Pinkins why he didn’t speak with Colom then, Pinkins said he had to leave. At that point, Martin got out of his chair and walked out of view.
“Do you know how crazy this shit sounds, Ty?” Martin said, continuing to ask Pinkins why he didn’t approach Colom as a fraternity brother.
“Ty, ain’t none of this making any sense, bro,” Martin said.
Pinkins also denied his campaign was responsible for sending the text message Cane cited on his own show. Martin quoted the text and asked whether Pinkins was responsible for it. Pinkins also said his campaign did not send out any text messages during the campaign.
“I’m going to tell you right now, you’ve got some repairing to do to the brotherhood, bro, because some Alphas ain’t happy with you.”
“All I can do is come on your show and tell you,” Pinkins responded.
‘He’s Trying to Rewrite History
Former Mississippi gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley told the Mississippi Free Press on Nov. 10 that there is no basis in Ty Pinkins’ claims that he was attempting to help Scott Colom.
“If you believe that Ty Pinkins was some mastermind to try to siphon votes off of (Cindy Hyde-Smith), you believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and there’s oceanfront property in Arizona. That wasn’t fact. He’s trying to rewrite history when he almost was a spoiler. And that’s just not true. That’s totally not the way that thing went down.”
Presley said that in 2024, he donated to Pinkins’ Senate campaign against Republican Roger Wicker and tried to organize a fundraiser in Water Valley, Mississippi, but said the process was “evidently too slow” for Pinkins, who responded by criticizing Presley and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson.
Pinkins wrote about the fundraiser-that-wasn’t on a blog post on his campaign website, accessible only through internet archives. Pinkins alleged that fundraiser did not happen because the organizer cancelled in favor of Thompson. Pinkins also repeated the claim he made two years ago that Thompson told Democratic donors and party officials not to support his campaign. Thompson declined to comment on the allegation two years ago.
Pinkins deactivated all of his social media pages after Election Day.
Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the 2026 elections and read past stories here.
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