Key facts
- Hurst said Mississippi Republicans would accept a Colom victory if the law was followed and the voters had spoken.
- Hurst estimated 17,000 affidavit ballots and 3,000 absentee ballots still needed to be verified and counted.
- Hurst said the party had more than 50 volunteer attorneys and observers documenting the count across the state.
- The NRSC said it was sending a letter demanding county officials separate and preserve all affidavit ballots cast.
- Colom campaign manager Gerard Henderson called the NRSC letter a desperate stunt, per WJTV.
Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst said at a news conference in Jackson on Thursday, November 5, 2026, that the party would accept a victory by Democrat Scott Colom in the state's undecided U.S. Senate race if the law was followed. "If the laws are followed and the voters spoke, that is it. Mississippi Republicans will accept that," Hurst said, adding: "There is no election denying going on here."
Hurst spoke outside the Hinds County Courthouse as counting continued in the race between Colom and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. He estimated that 17,000 affidavit ballots and 3,000 absentee ballots still needed to be verified and counted, and said the party had more than 50 volunteer attorneys and observers across the state documenting the process. "This election is far from being over," he said.
WJTV reported that Colom led Hyde-Smith by just over 1,800 votes, according to Decision Desk HQ, with a scattering of ballots still being added by counties. Secretary of State Michael Watson said the state was waiting on 3,600 outstanding ballots, according to WJTV.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee said it was sending a letter to county election commissioners and circuit clerks demanding they separate and preserve all affidavit ballots cast. NRSC regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell said the committee was committed to ensuring every lawful ballot is accurately counted.
Colom campaign manager Gerard Henderson responded that the letter was "a desperate stunt" and said the campaign was confident Colom would be Mississippi's next U.S. senator when every lawful ballot was counted, WJTV reported. WJTV also reported that county clerks have 10 days to certify the election, a deadline of November 13.