Senate Democrats’ leading campaign spending group is making its first entry into Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race this year. This move indicates a strategic offensive in a predominantly Republican state, aiming to challenge the narrow GOP majority. The Senate Majority PAC, associated with Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, plans to invest $1.2 million in a new TV ad to support Scott Colom, a district attorney, against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
The television advertisement, revealed to The Associated Press, will commence on Wednesday and continue until Election Day. According to Lauren French, spokesperson for the group, “Senate Majority PAC has been monitoring this race and recognizes Colom’s competitive position.” This substantial investment adds to the total spending of approximately $8 million in the race, with Colom having spent nearly $4.6 million, compared to Hyde-Smith’s $3.2 million.
Jake Monssen, campaign manager for Hyde-Smith, pointed out the timing of this late spending. He stated, “Team Cindy is confident that voters will reject this radical agenda at the ballot box on November 3rd.” Hyde-Smith, appointed and later elected in 2018, is running for reelection in a strong Republican state. In the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump won Mississippi by a significant margin. However, Hyde-Smith underperformed Trump by 6 percentage points in 2020 against Joe Biden, leading some Democrats to see her as vulnerable.
Colom’s campaign, supported by a strong volunteer base, aims to capitalize on this perceived vulnerability. Gerard Henderson, Colom’s campaign manager, emphasized the grassroots support and stated, “We clearly have the resources and momentum to win.” High-profile Democrats, including Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and Vice President Kamala Harris, have been campaigning with Colom.
The Republican Party currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate. The Democrats aim to flip conservative territories with strategic investments in states like Mississippi and Kansas, where Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton is seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. If elected, Colom would be Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.
Despite criticism from some Democrats for a lack of investment in Southern states, the current electoral conditions have heightened Democratic optimism. Rising costs and gas prices, amid an unpopular war in Iran under a Republican president, add to the challenges facing the GOP.
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