Who is Scott Colomb? Senate Majority PAC ₹ 11.3 cr ad campaign for him – Why is the Mississippi Senate race tough? | Today’s news
The U.S. Senate in Mississippi has drawn new attention after the Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic-leaning political action committee, announced a $1.2 million (approx. ₹11.3 million) television ad campaign supporting Democratic candidate Scott Colomo against incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
The campaign, announced Oct. 20, marks the PAC’s first ad investment in Mississippi during the 2026 election cycle. The ad is scheduled to run statewide from Wednesday through Election Day, Nov. 3.
He accuses Hyde-Smith of failing to pass any legislation during her decade in office, while voting for measures that would limit access to Medicaid.
“In her ten years in power, Hyde-Smith hasn’t passed a single law, but she’s voted to kick people off Medicaid,” a narrator says in the ad, according to the AP.
The spending is a notable development in a state where Democrats are struggling to win statewide elections. Although the race remains difficult for Coloma, recent shifts in election forecasts and increased attention from national Democrats have brought the contest into sharper focus.
Who is Scott Colomb?
Scott Colom, 43, is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate and District Attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District, which includes Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties. Born and raised in Columbus, Mississippi, he is a seventh generation Mississippian.
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According to his official campaign biography, Colom studied English and history at Millsaps College before earning a law degree, cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He began his legal career at the Mississippi Center for Justice and later worked as a paralegal.
Colom entered public service as a judge in 2011, becoming the first black court judge in Lowndes County. He subsequently served as a municipal court judge in Aberdeen and as a prosecutor in Columbus. In 2015, he defeated a 27-year-old incumbent to become the district attorney for the 16th Judicial Circuit, taking office in January 2016.
His career also brought him into conflict with Hyde-Smith. In 2022, then-President Joe Biden nominated Coloma to be a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Hyde-Smith opposed the nomination and refused to return the procedural “blue slip”, effectively blocking his progress in the Senate.
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Colom launched his Senate campaign in September 2025. He focused on affordability, health care and employment while beating Hyde-Smith’s voting record.
Why is the Mississippi Senate race tough?
Mississippi has been a Republican stronghold for decades. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate election in the state since 1982, making Colom’s challenge a tall order.
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Republican President Donald Trump won Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. Hyde-Smith, who was first appointed to the Senate in 2018 and subsequently won election, is seeking another term. She defeated Democrat Mike Espy by 10 percentage points in the 2020 Senate race.
Colom also faces the challenge of appealing beyond the Democratic base in a state where Republicans have traditionally enjoyed strong support among white voters. He is trying to mobilize black voters, who make up a substantial portion of Mississippi’s population, while gaining support from white voters who may be disaffected with the incumbent.
Colom also received endorsements from prominent Democrats, including Senator Raphael Warnock and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Cook Political Report recently moved the Mississippi Senate race from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican,” indicating a more competitive contest but still giving Hyde-Smith the edge.
