Democratic prosecutor Scott Colom announces US Senate race in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Scott Colom, a Democratic district attorney in Mississippi, is running for U.S. Senate, challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Colom announced his candidacy in a video Wednesday that criticized Hyde-Smith for voting for President Donald Trump’s ’ big beautiful bill ’, a sprawling piece of legislation that included Medicaid cuts, tax breaks and new money for national defense and deportations.

“Her last vote is going to run up our debt, kick over 100,000 Mississippians off their healthcare and put our hospitals at risk all so billionaires in California and New York can get a tax break,” Colom said of Hyde-Smith in his announcement video. “That’s not who I am.”

Colom also said he would fight to eliminate income taxes for teachers and law enforcement and boost wages for Mississippians.

Colom joins the race alongside U.S. Army Veteran Ty Pinkins, a former Democrat who announced he would be challenging Hyde-Smith as an Independent earlier this year.

“We welcome Scott Colom to the race and congratulate Senator Chuck Schumer and national Democrats on their recruit,” Nathan Calvert, the communications director for Hyde-Smith’s campaign, said in a statement. “Make no mistake — Mississippians know the difference between conservative values that work and the liberal Biden/Colom policies that have failed us.”

It is not the first time Colom and Hyde-Smith have clashed. In 2023, Hyde-Smith blocked President Joe Biden’s nomination of Colom to a federal judgeship.

Hyde-Smith cited concerns about Colom’s connection to George Soros, a New York billionaire who gave money to Mississippi Safety and Justice, a political action committee that supported Colom’s 2015 race for district attorney. Soros did not contribute directly to Colom’s campaign.

In an attempt to sway Hyde-Smith, Colom wrote to her that he did not request the funds from Soros and did not know the money would be contributed to his campaign.

She also criticized Colom for opposing “legislation to protect female athletes,” after Colom signed a letter in June 2021 condemning efforts to criminalize gender-affirming care for transgender people.

Colom is running to flip a seat in a state where Republicans control all statewide offices and both chambers of the Legislature. Democrats have attempted to gain a foothold in the state in recent years. In 2023, Democrat Brandon Presley was narrowly defeated in a gubernatorial election by Gov. Tate Reeves, who received nearly 51% of the vote.

Colom is the district attorney in Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties. He is the first Black prosecutor in those counties, defeating the longtime incumbent Forrest Allgood in 2015. Colom was unopposed when he won a second term in 2019.