A viral campaign ad helped Democrat Scott Colom turn what was expected to be a comfortable Republican victory into an unexpectedly competitive Senate race in Mississippi. Tuesday's elections saw Democrats win control of both the House and Senate, as voters sent a stinging rebuke of President Donald Trump and his party. Democrats defeated Republicans across the map, flipping states that have been reliably red for decades and ones the president handily won in 2024 amid voters' frustration over high prices and the Iran war.
But deep red Mississippi, which Trump carried by about 23 points in 2024, emerged as one of the most surprising Senate battlegrounds. While forecasters and polls had favored incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, the race between her and Colom remains too close to call. The outcome may not be known for several days as election officials continue counting votes.
Regardless of the eventual result, Colom's performance represents a remarkable achievement for a Democrat in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. If elected, he would become the first Black U.S. Senator elected in the state since Reconstruction.
At least in part, Colom's unexpectedly strong performance can be attributed to a 28-second ad that brought national attention to his campaign in the weeks leading up to the election, homing in on an issue that has hurt Republicans across the country: affordability. Colom credited Patrick Gaspard, a former U.S. Ambassador and a key external adviser for the campaign, for the idea to take his Republican rival's "inexcusable gaffe and do something edgy with it that could get attention." In the same post on X, Colom also praised ad director Ryan Sayles, who he said did "GAME CHANGING work with SO little." Following the ad, "pick another senator" became a slogan for Colom's campaign.
And voters in Mississippi appear to have taken the message seriously enough to make the race far more competitive than many had anticipated. Experts told Newsweek that while it's difficult to assess the impact any particular ad may have had on a race, Colom's video picked up on the concerns of voters across the political spectrum in a clever and humorous way. In a contest this close, even a relatively small shift in voter sentiment could prove consequential.
"No doubt it's virality helped move the needle with some voters, and in a race this close, it only takes a little movement to make a difference," Marvin King, an associate professor at the University of Mississippi who focuses on African American politics, told Newsweek. Newsweek has reached out to Colom and Sayles for comment. Colom made affordability central to his campaign, repeatedly criticizing Hyde-Smith on grocery, gas and health care costs.
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