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Republican Setbacks Swell in the South With Stinging Loss in Mississippi

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The Democrat Scott Colom’s stunning Senate upset punctuated a dismal midterm showing for the G.O.P. in a region they had dominated for years.

Scott Colom, the Democratic Senate candidate in Mississippi, secured a major upset over Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican. Credit...Rory Doyle for The New York Times

Nov. 12, 2026Updated 8:12 p.m. ET

Republicans were routed in Georgia and stunned in South Carolina. In Louisiana, a Republican Senate candidate won by less than two percentage points against a little-known Democrat who ran just two TV commercials.

Then came Wednesday in Mississippi, where Scott Colom became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in 44 years, defeating Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and further shaking Republicans’ once-unquestioned hold on the South.

Now, after the series of midterm shocks, Southern Republicans have been left to confront a new reality: A region they dominated for years is no longer a lock for their party.

“Republicans fell asleep at the wheel,” said Bill Armistead, a former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, adding, “If we stay asleep at the wheel, we could see some losses in the future.”

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Ms. Hyde-Smith’s loss cast doubts on Republicans’ once-unquestioned power on the South.Credit...Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times

Republicans also lost their grip on the Georgia governor’s mansion, suffered a staggering loss by nearly 20 points in North Carolina’s Senate race and surrendered seats in state houses in Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas. In South Carolina, 10 state legislative seats flipped into Democratic hands.

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