Key facts
- Colom said Democrats cannot continue to allow a lack of investment in Mississippi.
- Colom defeated incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who President Trump had endorsed.
- Democrats won Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas; Alaska is undecided.
- Colom said he does not know Chuck Schumer or Chris Van Hollen well enough to back either for leader.
Sen.-elect Scott Colom, a Mississippi Democrat, said on NBC News's Meet the Press on November 15, 2026 that his party should direct more money and political effort toward Mississippi and the rural South after his Senate win.
"We didn't have a bunch of resources. There wasn't a bunch of campaign money spent to win Mississippi, compared with other states," Colom said. He added that Democrats "can't continue to allow that lack of investment to occur."
Colom defeated incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on November 11, 2026. Hyde-Smith, who won the seat in 2020 and was endorsed by President Trump, had been favored to win. Colom will be Mississippi's first Black senator since Hiram Revels and Blanche Kelso Bruce, both elected in the 1870s; a Democrat had not won the seat since 1982.
Democrats won Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas in the 2026 midterms, with Alaska yet to be determined. Asked whether he would support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer or Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who is seeking the majority leader post, Colom said he does not know either well and will listen to others before deciding.