民主党候选人斯科特·科洛姆是密西西比州的非裔检察官，正在挑战现任共和党参议员辛迪·海德-史密斯的连任。[1]尽管民主党在这个深南方州面临结构性劣势，但该州的政治环境呈现出新的不确定性。
从人口构成看，非裔选民约占密西西比州295万人口的37%，在典型的11月选举中占投票者的约三分之一。[1]这个群体中超过90%通常投票给民主党，但其投票率往往低于白人选民，而白人选民则以4比1或更高的比例支持共和党。[1]在过往选举中，海德-史密斯在2018年以7个百分点击败黑人候选人迈克·埃斯皮，2020年又赢得了10个百分点的优势。[1]然而，2023年州长泰特·里夫斯仅以3个百分点的微弱多数成功连任，这表明共和党的领先优势正在缩小。[1]
在资金方面，截至6月，海德-史密斯的筹款总额为380万美元，还剩余250万美元可用，而科洛姆筹款280万美元，剩余85万美元。[1]值得注意的是，2025年初以来，科洛姆的个人捐款金额（190万美元）已超过海德-史密斯（180万美元）。[1]
科洛姆将竞选焦点放在州内民众面临的实际问题上。他指出密西西比州有40万人没有健康保险，这是因为该州未扩展医疗补助。[1]民主党参议员安吉拉·阿尔索布鲁克斯为科洛姆造势时表示，她"不会是最后一位"支持者。[1]
Scott Colom, a Black Democratic prosecutor, is mounting a challenge against Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat.[1] While Democrats face structural disadvantages in the deeply conservative state, Colom's campaign points to demographic shifts and recent political developments that could reshape the race.
Black voters comprise approximately 37% of Mississippi's 2.95 million population and account for roughly one-third of typical November voters.[1] Despite more than 90% of Black voters supporting Democrats, their turnout lags behind white voters, who back Republicans at a 4-to-1 ratio or higher.[1] Hyde-Smith has prevailed in previous contests against Black opponents, defeating Mike Espy by 7 percentage points in 2018 and winning by 10 points in 2020.[1] However, recent statewide elections suggest tightening margins—Governor Tate Reeves won reelection in 2023 by just 3 percentage points.[1]
Fundraising has shown competitive strength from both camps, with disparities narrowing in early 2025. As of June, Hyde-Smith had raised $3.8 million with $2.5 million remaining, while Colom reported $2.8 million raised and $850,000 on hand.[1] Since the beginning of 2025, Colom's personal donations reached $1.9 million compared to Hyde-Smith's $1.8 million.[1] Colom has emphasized policy priorities affecting ordinary Mississippians, highlighting that 400,000 state residents lack health insurance due to the state's failure to expand Medicaid.[1] The Hyde-Smith campaign has countered by portraying Colom as a left-wing extremist.[1] Democratic Senator Angela Alsobrooks has endorsed Colom, stating she will not be the last supporter to back his candidacy.[1]