Mississippi Senate Race Between Hyde-Smith and Colom Too Close to Call, Separated by 43 Votes

The U.S. Senate race in Mississippi between Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic prosecutor Scott Colom was too close to call Wednesday, with 43 votes separating them and 96% of ballots counted. The Associated Press showed both at 48.9% with more than 95% counted, and NPR reported Colom a handful of votes ahead early Wednesday. The contest had been expected to be a safe Republican hold, though NewsNation noted pre-election polling showed a narrower margin. In Alaska, a second undecided Senate race, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan held a narrow lead over Democrat Mary Peltola, the AP said, after Peltola led early Tuesday. Neither has 50%, so ranked choice tabulation could delay a result for weeks. Peltola's campaign was accused of helping get a similarly named candidate on the ballot; she denied it, and lawsuits and investigations followed.

NPR, the left-leaning outlet here, keeps to the bare count: its headline and excerpt say votes are still being tallied and Colom is a handful ahead, with no mention of polls, campaign backers or other races. On the right, The Blaze frames the race as a reversal, saying a favored incumbent got a rude awakening on Election Day, describing Colom as backed by George Soros, and citing the AP's 48.9% tie. Just the News folds Mississippi into a wider report on two undecided Senate races and spends most of its text on Alaska's similar-name controversy and ranked-choice rules. Both sides agree the race is too close to call and rely on AP-style tallies. They differ in that NPR leads with Colom's edge and omits expectations, while the right stresses Hyde-Smith's expected cushion and Colom's funding label. Straight Arrow News supplied the 43-vote margin.