Endorsements aren’t everything in a political race, but sometimes, a bigger or more familiar name attached to a candidate gives voters the nudge they need when casting their ballots on Election Day.
For Mississippi’s 2026 U.S. Senate race, endorsements have been rolling in for Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom. Independent Ty Pinkins, who is not polling at the same levels as his two major-party opponents, has not received any major endorsements during the cycle.
Here’s a look at who’s backing each campaign and who isn’t.
Trump leads White House support for Hyde-Smith
President Donald Trump, now in his second nonconsecutive term as the commander-in-chief, is continuing to push for Hyde-Smith.
Trump has campaigned for his Republican colleague in every federal election she’s been part of. In 2018, when Hyde-Smith ran in a special election after being appointed to the seat following the retirement of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, Trump made campaign stops for her in Biloxi, Tupelo, and Southaven. He followed up his initial support with a lofty endorsement in 2020.
Ahead of the 2026 cycle, Trump endorsed Hyde-Smith in March 2025, calling her “100% MAGA and doing a fantastic job” representing Mississippians. He is expected to make similar remarks when he rallies for Hyde-Smith in Corinth on Monday, Oct. 26.
Another cabinet member publicly backing Hyde-Smith is Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who accompanied Hyde-Smith on the same trip the senator officially launched her reelection bid in August 2025.
Harris, Obama and other former White House officials campaign for Colom
Kamala Harris, the vice president under Joe Biden and the Democratic presidential nominee who lost to Trump in 2024, is pushing for Colom to be elected. She will be in Columbus on Thursday, Oct. 22, as part of what Colom’s team said will be a “high-energy rally” focusing on the issues facing Mississippians.
Former President Barack Obama even cut a commercial for Colom, saying, “Mississippi, it’s time for a change, and that’s why you need to send Scott Colom to the Senate.”
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit cities across the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to campaign for Colom.
Current Senate members chiming in
Both Hyde-Smith and Colom have received strong support from several sitting U.S. senators.
Hyde-Smith’s Republican colleague, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, fundraised for her in April. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota fundraised for her in September. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama cut a social media video in favor of Hyde-Smith a week before the primary election.
Colom has received on-the-ground support from Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Warnock was in Jackson last week, where he likened Colom’s campaign to his own upset bid in 2021, while Booker was in Gulfport for a voter-mobilization event on Oct. 2. Colom also has endorsements from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware.
State officials, lawmakers split by party
Per usual in a race of this magnitude, both state officials and state lawmakers are backing the candidate within their own party.
Both Hyde-Smith and Colom have received endorsements from a long list of state lawmakers on their side of the aisle. With there being no Democrats elected to statewide office in Mississippi, all of the state’s executive leadership is in favor of Hyde-Smith.
The party theme rings true with Mississippians in Washington, too. Republican U.S. Reps. Trent Kelly, Michael Guest, and Mike Ezell are supporting Hyde-Smith, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson is supporting Colom.
Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who supported Colom’s nomination for a federal judgeship in 2022, is supporting Hyde-Smith in the race. Colom, a district attorney based in Lowndes County, was chosen by Biden to serve on the bench in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi before the promotion was blocked by Hyde-Smith.
