Mississippi Senate Race Hangs on a Margin of 65 Votes

While much of the country focused on the Democratic sweep, one Senate race in Mississippi was still hanging in the balance on Wednesday. According to CNBC, citing the Associated Press, Democratic nominee Scott Colom was leading Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 65 votes out of 945,587 cast, with an estimated 95 percent of the vote counted.

A margin that small is far below the point where a result feels settled. Even a few hundred ballots can change the outcome, and in Mississippi the final count may depend on mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. CNBC noted that those ballots were allowed by the Supreme Court in a ruling in June, which is why election officials and lawyers on both sides are watching the count closely.

Close races follow a familiar process. Local election offices finish counting, then the state certifies the totals. If the margin is extremely narrow, a recount can be requested or required, depending on state law. Campaigns also review rejected ballots and may challenge them in court. News organisations avoid calling a race until the remaining votes cannot change the outcome, which is why the race was among the uncalled contests that CBS and others listed as the Senate count continued.

The stakes are real. Democrats already appeared to have reached a Senate majority, so this seat is unlikely to decide control. But it could change the size of the majority, which affects how much room the party has when a few senators disagree. Republicans, meanwhile, would be losing another seat in a state they carried comfortably in recent presidential races.

Readers should remember that this report is a snapshot. The count was still in progress when the figures were published, and the lead could change in either direction. The official result will come only after every valid ballot has been counted and the state has certified the totals. Until then, the only honest description of the race is that it is too close to call.