President Donald Trump praised Mississippi Senator-elect Scott Colom for reaching out to Trump supporters ahead of the midterm election.
Colom defeated incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) to become the state’s first black U.S. senator since the Civil War and the first Democrat to hold the seat since 1978.
Trump applauded Colom’s moxie during an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s “Straight Shooter” podcast, referencing the prosecutor’s appearance at Trump’s rally in Mississippi last month.
Colom walked along the line of Trump supporters waiting to enter the rally, shook hands, introduced himself, and asked about their concerns.
Trump acknowledged that showing up to a Trump rally to mingle with “Make America Great Again” supporters as a Democrat was a smart move.
“I heard it the other day, where I had a rally there, and we had lines that went 10 miles long, and [Colom] campaigned on that line, telling everybody on the line what a good job he did,” Trump said.
The move drew media attention, even pulling focus from Trump’s statewide campaign in a state expected to be an easy win for the Republican incumbent.
Colom campaigned on his electorate’s economic frustrations but won the seat by less than one percent. With 99 percent of votes counted, Colom had 49.2 percent, and Hyde-Smith received 48.7 percent.
Independent Ty Pinkins won over 2.1 percent of the vote.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, also congratulated Colom on his win.
“Congratulations to Senator-Elect Colom on his historic win and on becoming the first Democrat to win a Mississippi Senate seat in over four decades,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
“We will work hand in hand with Scott to fight for Mississippians’ health care, costs, and future in the 120th Congress and look forward to welcoming him to our caucus.”
Hyde-Smith sought a second full term after winning a special election in November 2018 to serve out the rest of Republican Senator Thad Cochran’s term.
She then won a full term in 2020, defeating Democrat Mike Espy with 54.1 percent of the vote.
Colom received support from high-profile Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris also campaigned for him in his hometown of Columbus, Mississippi.
He also received late support from national Democrats, as the Senate Majority PAC favored him with a $1.2 million television ad buy.
Colom’s win was part of a broader Democratic sweep in the Senate.
Democrats already flipped Senate seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Maine, and Kansas. Democrats needed to flip only four Republican seats to win the majority.
In North Carolina, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper defeated former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
In South Carolina, Democrat and pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Darline Graham, who was holding the seat vacated by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died earlier this year.
Kansas pastor Adam Hamilton, another Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. Hamilton will be the first Democrat elected to represent Kansas in the Senate in 94 years.
In the Lone Star State, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the biggest midterm upsets.
Talarico will be the first Democrat from Texas to the U.S. Senate since Lloyd Bentsen, who served from 1971 to 1993.
Nathan Worcester and Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
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