Trump Rallies in Corinth, Mississippi, for Hyde-Smith as Democrat Colom Makes Senate Race Competitive

President Donald Trump held a rally Monday evening in Corinth, Mississippi, at the Crossroads Arena to support Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who faces an unexpectedly competitive challenge from Democrat Scott Colom, a district attorney from Columbus. Trump won Mississippi by about 23 points in 2024, but his approval rating in the state has fallen to its lowest level of either term, according to Newsweek. Democrats have not won a Senate race there since 1982. Colom's campaign gained traction after an ad attacking Hyde-Smith over beef prices went viral. Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned for Colom last Thursday, and both parties' top super PACs are spending in the state. If elected, Colom would be the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction. Both parties remain skeptical that Democrats can win. A Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokeswoman called Trump's visit a rescue mission, while an NRSC spokeswoman called Colom too radical for the state.

The right-leaning Daily Wire leads with immigration, not the race's competitiveness. It says Trump would tout his crackdown and contrast it with Joe Biden's border policies, and it features White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis and White House-supplied ICE arrests in Yazoo and Tutwiler, including people with murder and sexual assault convictions. It presents the rally as part of a Republican pitch on immigration and law and order, and only later notes a difficult political environment for the party. Left-leaning outlets frame the visit as a response to Republican vulnerability. MS NOW reports that Republicans have voiced concern that Hyde-Smith's seat is in play amid backlash toward Trump and his party, and focuses on the GOP targeting Colom's ad. CBS News ties the rally to the White House midterm strategy, gas prices that are essentially unchanged from the Biden administration, and polling from Anthony Salvanto. Both sides agree Trump is campaigning for Hyde-Smith, but the right highlights immigration arrests and the left highlights Republican worry. Alternative outlets Newsweek and Semafor largely echo the competitiveness framing, with Semafor adding quotes from both party committees.