Mississippi Republicans Face Growing Pressure Ahead of Midterms

WHO:

Fox News - Oregon Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan said incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek had “absolutely failed to deliver” for Oregonians.

Yahoo - Republican Sen. Roger Marshall said he was “running for his political life” in Kansas; Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton is a megachurch pastor who has led Church of the Resurrection for roughly three decades.

Yahoo - Don Haider-Markel, a University of Kansas political science professor, said the election-cycle factors were unusually favorable to Democrats; Nathaniel Birkhead, a Kansas State University political science professor, said Marshall’s close alignment with Trump created an opening for Hamilton.

NBC News Politics - President Donald Trump rallied voters in Mississippi; NBC’s Garrett Haake reported for TODAY.

NPR - Scott Colom, a district attorney and Democratic Senate nominee, is challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.

NPR - Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg were among Democrats supporting increased political investment in the South.

NPR - Hyde-Smith campaign manager Jake Monssen said the campaign was confident she would be reelected.

NPR - Ashley Kennedy Shelton runs a nonpartisan civic engagement group in Louisiana.

WHAT:

Fox News - Drazan cited a CNBC ranking that placed Oregon at No. 42 among the nation’s top states for business, saying Oregon had fallen from a top-20 business environment during Kotek’s four years as governor.

Fox News - Drazan said Oregon’s homelessness numbers had risen, its economy was declining, and its students had not recovered from school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yahoo - Trump asked Kansas voters to “pretend please that I'm on the ballot,” despite not appearing on the ballot.

Yahoo - Marshall said, “if we lose Kansas, I don't see how we keep control of the Senate,” and characterized a vote for Hamilton as a vote for Chuck Schumer and Democratic control of the Senate.

Yahoo - Republicans hold a 53-seat Senate majority and are seeking to maintain or expand it.

Yahoo - Marshall won his 2020 Senate race by nearly 12 points; he said gas-price increases had coincided with declining poll numbers and that the race might have been 12 points in his favor before the Iran war.

Yahoo - Marshall said, “we don't win this election without Trump voters getting out and voting,” and said most undecided voters were Trump supporters.

NPR - Scott Colom said Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked his nomination to be a federal judge during the Biden administration.

NPR - Colom’s rally was attended by former Vice President Kamala Harris, who said the administration was “the most callous, corrupt and incompetent presidential administration we have ever experienced.”

NPR - Harris said, “We’re 12 days out from an election. And it’s time to turn that anger into action.”

NPR - Republicans in Mississippi have signaled plans to redraw state legislative and judicial districts after the midterms; Colom said redistricting could also reach local elections.

NPR - A Supreme Court ruling earlier in the year rolled back part of the Voting Rights Act; Southern Republican-led states subsequently moved to redraw congressional maps that could reduce Black voters’ opportunities to elect candidates of their choice.

NPR - Hyde-Smith won her 2018 special election by roughly 7 points, including during a Democratic “blue wave.”

NBC News Politics - Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race was described as unexpectedly competitive, part of a series of tightening Senate races nationwide.

NPR - Mississippi has the country’s highest share of Black voters, close to 40%, and is among the poorest, rural, agriculture-heavy states.

NPR - Trump won Mississippi by 23 points in 2024; the state is extremely racially polarized.

NPR - Democrats spent about $5 million in Mississippi that month, compared with Republicans’ $3.2 million. Hyde-Smith’s campaign spent more than $1.3 million on an ad attacking Colom.

NPR - Colom said, “Mississippi has never been a lost cause, we've been a betrayed cause,” and argued Democrats had spent “almost nothing” in the state.

NPR - Hyde-Smith characterized the election as “socialism versus capitalism” and said, “Endorsements don't win elections, votes win elections.”

NPR - Trump urged supporters to vote, saying, “Sometimes when you think somebody's doing so well, nobody votes.”

NPR - Colom said Republicans’ proposed map changes would take power from voters and give it to leaders.

NPR - The last Democratic senator from Mississippi was elected in the early 1980s; the last successful Black statewide candidate was during Reconstruction. Hyde-Smith won the seat’s 2018 special election by roughly 7 points.

WHERE:

NPR - Colom’s rally took place in Columbus, Mississippi.

NPR - Colom held a rally at his hometown high school gym; about 1,000 people attended. Trump, Hyde-Smith and other Republicans gathered in Corinth, about 100 miles away.

NPR - The Senate contest is in Mississippi, also called the Magnolia State.

WHY:

Fox News - Drazan said the Oregon governor’s race had “razor thin margins” and urged voters to turn out to bring change to the state.

NPR - Colom supporter Celestine Rice said, “The moral compass of this country is gone,” and said people saw that “big money, it doesn't trickle down like they said.”

NPR - Hyde-Smith said the choice was “socialism versus capitalism,” “Communism versus democracy,” and “big government versus the free market.”

NPR - Hyde-Smith’s campaign said she and Trump had built “a strong working relationship,” and that Trump offered to rally voters and support her get-out-the-vote efforts.

Yahoo - Marshall cited gas prices and affordability pressures as reasons his race had tightened; he said he felt voters’ frustration as fuel prices rose.

Yahoo - Kansas fuel-station signs showed gasoline prices just below $4 per gallon and diesel prices above $6 per gallon.

NPR - The race has become a focal point for discussion about Black voters’ political power in the South and could matter beyond Mississippi and control of the Senate.

NBC News Politics - Rising gas and food prices were prominent concerns for voters.

NPR - Democrats cited Black voter turnout, Democratic enthusiasm, anti-incumbent sentiment and possible Republican defections as factors that could make the race competitive.

NPR - Attendees at Colom’s rally cited the war in Iran, rising fuel costs and dissatisfaction with Trump’s second term.

NPR - Hyde-Smith said Trump came to encourage turnout because supporters might assume she would win easily and stay home.

HOW:

NPR - Hyde-Smith’s campaign said its ad portrayed Colom as “beholden to the far left” and alleged violent crime doubled while he was district attorney.

NPR - Republicans promoted an ad calling Colom “the most radical Senate candidate in our lifetime,” alleging he was beholden to the far left and that violent crime doubled while he was district attorney.

NPR - Democrats argued that there was “no daylight” between Trump and down-ballot Republicans. Republicans said national Democratic attention showed Colom was too extreme for Mississippi.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 21:06 UTC)

Mississippi’s Senate race has become unexpectedly competitive, with Democrat Scott Colom challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith as both parties work to turn out voters and the outcome could affect control of the Senate. President Trump rallied support for Hyde-Smith in Corinth, while Colom drew about 1,000 people to a hometown rally attended by former Vice President Kamala Harris; the campaigns have traded sharp attacks as voters focus on rising fuel and food costs. In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall warned that losing to Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton could jeopardize the GOP’s Senate majority, while Oregon Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan accused Gov. Tina Kotek of failing the state on business, homelessness and education.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 20:06 UTC)

Mississippi’s Senate race has become unexpectedly competitive, with Democratic nominee Scott Colom challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith as both parties step up campaigning in a state Trump won by 23 points. Trump urged voters to turn out for Hyde-Smith, while Colom drew support from Kamala Harris and other prominent Democrats; the campaigns have traded attacks, and Democrats point to voter enthusiasm and economic concerns as factors that could tighten the contest. In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall said he was “running for his political life,” citing rising fuel costs and warning that a loss could cost Republicans control of the Senate, while Trump asked voters to act as if he were on the ballot.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 19:03 UTC)

Mississippi’s Senate race is unexpectedly competitive, with Democratic nominee Scott Colom challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith as both parties focus on turnout and control of the Senate. Colom drew about 1,000 people to a rally in his hometown of Columbus, where Kamala Harris urged voters to turn their anger into action, while President Trump rallied for Hyde-Smith in Corinth; the campaigns have traded attacks as Democrats point to Black voter turnout and frustration over rising costs. In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall says he is fighting for his political life against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, citing gas prices and affordability pressures as he seeks to hold a seat Republicans view as important to maintaining their Senate majority.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 16:10 UTC)

Mississippi’s unexpectedly competitive Senate race has drawn President Trump to rally for Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, while Democrat Scott Colom is challenging her in a state Trump won by 23 points. At a rally in Columbus attended by about 1,000 people, former Vice President Kamala Harris urged voters to turn anger into action, as Democrats highlighted Black voter turnout and Republicans attacked Colom as too far left. The contest has also intensified debate over Black political power and proposed redistricting, with Colom saying new maps could weaken voters’ influence and Hyde-Smith’s campaign expressing confidence she will win.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 13:24 UTC)

Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race is unexpectedly competitive, with Democratic nominee Scott Colom challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith as President Trump urges supporters to turn out. Democrats have invested about $5 million in the state, while Hyde-Smith’s campaign has spent more than $1.3 million on an ad attacking Colom, and national Democrats including Kamala Harris, Raphael Warnock and Pete Buttigieg have backed increased investment in the South. Voters have raised concerns about rising fuel and food prices, the war in Iran and Trump’s second term, while the campaigns frame the contest as a choice between socialism and capitalism and argue over turnout, crime and political influence.