Campaign season is reaching its apex in Mississippi with midterms just two weeks away, and nothing reminds voters that elections are nearing more than an exchange of mudslinging.
In Mississippi’s contentious race for U.S. Senate, the candidates representing the two major political parties have pulled no punches in an attempt to brand their main opponent as unqualified for the job. The latest example of this came from Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
The incumbent’s team looked to link Democratic challenger Scott Colom with alleged far-left activist groups ActBlue and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Both are accused of illicit financial practices. Hyde-Smith’s campaign called into question donations Colom has received from both, and took things a step further by producing a 2001 mugshot of the current Lowndes County-based district attorney, saying “criminals stick together.”
Colom’s team initially dismissed the mugshot as AI-generated, but eventually acknowledged its validity and confirmed that he had been arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Colom, acknowledging the arrest during Tuesday’s episode of Mornings with Richard Cross, said he was 18 years old with 17-year-olds who were out past curfew and was handcuffed, though he didn’t recall having his mugshot taken. Colom was a student at Columbus High School at the time of his arrest.
“I was 18. I was out with 17-year-olds after curfew. I got arrested. I don’t remember having a mugshot,” Colom said. “I’ve been vetted by the FBI. I’ve been vetted by the [Department of Justice]. I was nominated to be a federal judge. Sen. Roger Wicker supported me. I have nothing to hide.”
Hyde-Smith’s team seized the opportunity to accuse Colom of hypocrisy. Colom has called for an immediate halt on new artificial data center construction in Mississippi, but, according to Hyde-Smith’s campaign, the Democratic hopeful has used AI-generated ads. The Republican’s team also contended that it’s ironic for a sitting prosecutor to not only have an arrest record but also be a failure in tackling crime. Colom, on the other hand, boasts a 94% conviction rate as district attorney.
“It’s laughably ironic that the one person in this race producing AI-generated ads, while complaining about data centers nonetheless, is now standing behind false claims about AI to hide an arrest record,” Hyde-Smith campaign manager Jake Monssen said. “However, what is really criminal is not Scott Colom’s mugshot; it’s his failed record as a Soros-funded prosecutor who allowed violent crime to double under his watch as District Attorney. And more than that, it’s his advocacy for life-altering, irreversible sex change surgeries for children.”
Colom has used much of his time on the campaign trail to blast Hyde-Smith for refusing to debate him, hold town halls, or answer questions from voters in public forums. He called her campaign’s publishing of his mugshot both a distraction and evidence that the junior senator cannot run on her own record.
“It’s a distraction from the fact that we’re gaining momentum,” Colom said. “Our junior senator is trying to talk about everything except for the gas, the groceries, the healthcare, and hospitals closing.”
Colom’s campaign has gained momentum in recent months. The Democratic hopeful outraised Hyde-Smith significantly in the third quarter of 2026, though the incumbent still has more cash on hand. Colom has also been endorsed by prominent Democrats like former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), among others.
The endorsements from outside politicians, however, have drawn questions of whether or not Colom aligns himself with the far-left faction of the Democratic Party. Colom, who typically takes a moderate approach to policy views, being in the same spotlight as Obama, Harris, and Buttigieg has yielded concerns that he would support sex changes for minors, transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, opening the southern border, and stripping citizens of gun rights.
Colom, however, has maintained that, despite how he’s been labeled by Hyde-Smith, he will stick true to his Mississippi values if sent to represent the state in Washington, D.C. The Democratic candidate has consistently said he would be willing to work with congressional Republicans, especially on matters like border security and protecting Second Amendment liberties.
“My values haven’t changed. I’m a Christian. I love Mississippi,” Colom said. “I got my values from the people of Mississippi, and I’m running on Mississippi issues.”
Colom elaborated on those “Mississippi issues,” saying his priorities include supporting farmers and addressing the state’s ongoing rural hospital crisis. He also said he would work to restore Congress’ constitutional authority over declaring war and imposing tariffs on foreign goods. Colom argued that President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the ongoing war in Iran have caused nearly irreparable harm to all Mississippians.
On the healthcare front, Colom is a staunch supporter of expanding Medicaid access under the Affordable Care Act, a move Mississippi Democrats believe would result in struggling hospitals being compensated for care. Medicaid expansion would also offer more affordable care to a larger number of Mississippians, though local Republicans have warned that it would strain the state government’s budget down the road.
Colom, Hyde-Smith, and independent Ty Pinkins will square off in the Nov. 3 general election. The last time a non-Republican won a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi was when the late Democrat John C. Stennis had a successful reelection bid in 1982.
