Democrat Scott Colom celebrated a historic victory in Mississippi's U.S. Senate election Wednesday, Nov. 11, telling supporters that his upset win over Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith was the
result of a grassroots campaign and a belief in the state.
Colom addressed supporters at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, more than a week after Election Day. His victory makes him the first Black senator elected from Mississippi since Reconstruction and the first Democrat the state has sent to the Senate since 1982.
The 43-year-old former district attorney opened his victory speech with a tribute to Hiram Revels, Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator, who served during Reconstruction. Colom said the same faith that guided Revels' life motivated his own campaign.
"God didn't want us to get it the easy way," Colom told the crowd. "He wanted us to get it the Mississippi way."
After days of ballot counting, multiple news networks projected Colom as the winner Wednesday, November 11. His lead over Hyde-Smith grew as election workers tallied mail-in and affidavit ballots. Hyde-Smith called Colom to concede earlier that day, according to his campaign.
Watch Scott Colom's victory speech
What Scott Colom said during his victory speech
During his remarks, Colom thanked the hundreds of supporters and volunteers who helped power his campaign, recalling how political mentors encouraged him to travel across Mississippi and connect with voters.
He recalled a meeting with NAACP President Derrick Johnson and others about a year before the election. They warned him that outside support might not come and that his best chance of winning was to campaign across the state.
"'We think that the only chance you got is you got to get out there and campaign,'" Colom recalled them saying.
Colom said he repeatedly told supporters throughout the campaign that he believed they would win.
"For months and months, I was telling everybody everywhere I went that we were going to win this election," he said. "Every time I said it, I pointed out that people were going to give me too much credit for it, because it's not something that I did. It's something that we did."
Colom campaigned on lowering costs, increasing wages and protecting health care and hospitals, frequently repeating his slogan: "lower costs, higher wages, save our hospitals, save our health care."
Why Scott Colom celebrated at Tougaloo College
The location of Colom's victory celebration carried historical significance. Woodworth Chapel at Tougaloo College served as a meeting place for prominent civil rights leaders during the 1960s and 1970s, including Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer and Medgar Evers.
Among those attending Wednesday's celebration was U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the lone Democrat in Mississippi's congressional delegation before Colom's election. Thompson, a Tougaloo alumnus, said Colom would give him a partner in Washington who listens to Mississippians.
Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the chapel to celebrate the senator-elect. Some held signs reading "Picked another senator instead," a reference to Colom's viral campaign advertisement criticizing Hyde-Smith's response to questions about rising beef prices.
Contributing: USA TODAY reporters Terry Collins and Phillip M. Bailey
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See Scott Colom give victory speech after historic win
