Four hundred thousand Mississippians remain without health insurance, a direct consequence of the state's refusal to expand Medicaid and the expiration of insurance premium subsidies. This policy choice, staunchly supported by incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, prioritizes fiscal austerity over the basic needs of the working class. It forms the grim backdrop of the current U.S. Senate race, where Hyde-Smith, a white Donald Trump acolyte, seeks her second full term against Black Democrat Scott Colom.
Colom, a prosecutor, frames his campaign around fighting "corruption" in Washington, D.C., citing Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war. He argues that the Republican-controlled Congress has capitulated on these issues, leaving Mississippians without a voice. Hyde-Smith's campaign manager, Jake Monssen, dismissed Colom as a "stooge" of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and billionaire donor George Soros, whose family has backed Colom’s district attorney races. Schumer recently held a fundraiser for Colom, while Sen. Angela Alsobrooks traveled to Mississippi to support him, illustrating the national party's investment in managing the existing political order.
The Cost to Labor
Trump’s tariffs have demonstrably harmed Mississippi farmers, a fact Colom highlights on the campaign trail. Beyond the agricultural sector, the 400,000 uninsured Mississippians represent a significant portion of the working class denied access to essential services, a form of systemic wage suppression. Judy Weiner, a 72-year-old poll worker, noted that Hyde-Smith distinguishes herself primarily through her "fealty to Trump," rather than by securing appropriations or aiding "rank-and-file Mississippians." Weiner recalled that Hyde-Smith's predecessor, Thad Cochran, made decisions based on "what was good for all the people in Mississippi," attracting votes across racial and party lines.
Black voters constitute approximately 37% of Mississippi’s 2.95 million residents and about a third of the typical November electorate, the highest proportion in any state. More than 9 out of 10 Black voters typically cast ballots for Democrats, but their turnout rate lags behind that of white voters, particularly among younger generations. White voters, conversely, favor Republicans by a ratio of 4-1 or more. Charles Taylor, the Mississippi NAACP State Conference Executive Director, emphasized the "simple math" of voter turnout, stating that registration and turnout efforts by the NAACP and other groups could mobilize an additional 75,000 Black voters, potentially closing recent electoral gaps.
The State's Apparatus
Mississippi’s political landscape has been shaped for generations by white conservatives, with the state's electoral system often serving to entrench this power. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to gut a key Voting Rights Act provision protecting minority voting strength has enabled Republican gerrymandering, solidifying the state apparatus in favor of accumulated wealth. Colom, while acknowledging this, steers the conversation to economics, arguing Republicans "don’t want to be held accountable" for the current conditions. This approach, while highlighting economic hardship, avoids a direct confrontation with the state's role in suppressing democratic participation.
Hyde-Smith won a special election runoff 8 years ago by 7 percentage points and a rematch 6 years ago by 10 percentage points. Her campaign had raised $3.8 million this cycle through June of the current year, with $2.5 million remaining. Colom had raised $2.8 million, with $850,000 left. Colom outpaced Hyde-Smith in individual contributions, $1.9 million to $1.8 million, since the start of 2025, with $536,000 of his funds originating from Mississippi. The relatively inexpensive media markets in Mississippi mean that late national party or super PAC spending, a form of capital flight, could significantly influence the outcome, demonstrating how concentrated wealth dictates political viability.
Managing Contradictions
Colom's campaign, while addressing critical issues like healthcare access and tariffs, operates within the confines of the existing political structure. He avoids direct personal attacks on Trump, instead focusing on the economic impacts on farmers and the uninsured. His acknowledgment of financial support from the Soros family, while asserting independence from outside political action committees, underscores the reliance of even reformist candidates on concentrated wealth. Republican Steve Rogers, 73, of Brandon, exemplified the entrenched support for the incumbent system, stating, "I like how she votes, and I think any Democrat’s wasting their time." This sentiment reveals the deep-seated ideological divisions that maintain the current distribution of power and wealth, even as the human cost mounts for hundreds of thousands of Mississippians.