Jackson (United States) (AFP) – The counting seems interminable, but in Mississippi, in the heart of the Republican South, residents hope to finally witness one of the most spectacular Democratic breakthroughs in the midterm elections: the election of their first black senator in nearly 150 years.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 22:38

In the race for one of the two seats in the US Senate in this traditionally conservative state, on Sunday, five days after the vote, Democratic candidate Scott Colom is ahead of Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by barely 2,500 votes out of more than 950,000 votes cast.

"The wait is a little stressful because we want them to announce the results. But people on the other side don't necessarily agree with this," Gregory Glass, a 47-year-old restaurateur in Jackson, the capital, told AFP, referring to the Republicans.

“You have to wait for each ballot to arrive,” he philosophizes about this wait, mainly due to the number of postal ballots remaining to be counted. “It doesn’t matter which side you’re on.”

If he wins in Mississippi, won by more than 22 points by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, Scott Colom will become the first Democratic senator since 1989, and the first black senator from this former Confederate state since 1881.

“It's a mixed feeling because it should have happened much sooner, especially in Mississippi, a state with such a large African-American population,” says Gregory Glass, who himself belongs to this community. “But it gives me a lot of hope.”

“We are enthusiastic, it feels good to be part of something historic,” also says Ebony Jones, 47, manager of a bakery.

- No automatic recount -

The wait is partly explained by Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots received up to Nov. 10 to be counted, provided they were mailed by Election Day.

Many provisional ballots were also distributed to people whose eligibility to vote in Mississippi has yet to be verified.

These ballots, the number of which is also unknown, are being counted, adding to the uncertainty of the result.

"We're counting them and verifying that each person lives where they said they live," said Jermal Clark, an elections official in Hinds County, where Jackson is located.

Added to the historical dimension of this election are personal grievances between the candidates.

Cindy Hyde-Smith, elected in 2018, used her prerogatives as a senator in 2023 to block Democratic President Joe Biden's nomination of Scott Colom as a federal judge.

Mississippi, which legally must certify its results before November 13, is the only state in the country not to provide for a recount of votes in the event of close results.

A candidate could, however, request judicial intervention to count the ballots rejected for irregularities.

Several national organizations, including the NAACP, the main organization defending the rights of black people, sent teams to Mississippi to ensure the smooth running of this vote count.

But the laborious nature of the process inspires more confidence than concern in voters, like Coretta Fraser, a 49-year-old human resources manager.

"In a situation where every vote counts," she said, "I'm really impressed to see how many organizations and election officials are coming together to ensure that every ballot is counted."

© 2026 AFP

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