Former vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is coming to Mississippi to campaign for U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom.
Colom’s team confirmed Wednesday that Harris will be in Columbus on Oct. 22, though details surrounding her visit are limited at this time. Harris is coming to Mississippi as part of a final push to help Democratic candidates running in midterm elections nationwide. Colom is the Democratic nominee for the seat held by incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Harris is among a laundry list of prominent Democrats who have publicly backed Colom, who currently serves as the district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Circuit Court District, as the party sees an opportunity to flip a seat that has been red since 1978.
Earlier this week, former President Barack Obama rolled out an ad in which he encouraged Mississippians to vote for Colom. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are also joining Colom along the Mississippi campaign trail this month. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) stumped for Colom in Gulfport a couple weeks ago.
If elected to the Senate, Colom vows to focus on the everyday needs of Mississippians, from farmers facing high input costs to parents having to work extra jobs and people suffering from high healthcare costs. Colom believes Hyde-Smith has lost touch with the average resident and that he is equipped to lead in the nation’s capital by working across the aisle to benefit his home state.
He also said he’d be willing to work with Republicans, pointing to his support for gun rights and securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I’m committed to Mississippi. I’m running for United States Senate because we have to have a leader in D.C. who is fighting for us — somebody who is going to fight for higher wages and lower costs, and to save our healthcare and our hospitals,” Colom told SuperTalk Mississippi News the day he won the Democratic nomination.
Hyde-Smith, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, has spent much time on her side of the campaign trail aiming to brand Colom as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The federal lawmaker referred to Colom as a “transgender defender,” former President Joe Biden’s pick for Senate, and a “Soros-funded” candidate — referring to well-known left-leaning billionaire George Soros.
“Our work is far from over as we turn our focus to the general election in November and the important work ahead for Mississippi. Scott Colom, the ‘transgender defender,’ bankrolled by George Soros, desperately wants to turn Mississippi Blue,” Hyde-Smith said. “We will work through Election Day to ensure that does not happen, and we will remind voters that the failed Biden/Harris policies Scott champions are wrong for Mississippi and wrong for our nation.”
Hyde-Smith, Colom, and independent Ty Pinkins will face off in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
