Dozens of people were gathered at the Mississippi HQ of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Jackson on Wednesday when Colom’s victory was announced.
The room burst into deafening applause and cheers.
“This is an amazing result,” said Leon Russell, chairman of the NAACP board.
“This is purely the work of particularly the black community,” he continued. “There was not a whole lot of money, but there was a whole lot of organising.
“This is a historic election.”
Across the room, filled with the sight of people slapping hands and exchanging, long warm embraces, Amber Thomas sat, revelling in the victory.
“When you fight, you win,” Thomas said. “Right now, I am overwhelmed with joy.”
The result wipes away a Republican winning streak in Mississippi that dates back to 1982.
The Mississippi contest was never expected to be this close, with Hyde-Smith running for re-election in a state that President Donald Trump won in the 2024 election by more than 22 points.
But Democrats have scored a series of major wins in these midterm elections, taking control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate.
It has won Senate seats in Republican strongholds, from Texas to South Carolina and Kansas.
Polls suggest this was due in large part to voter frustrations with the economy and the Iran war under President Trump.
Colom appeared to a ride a national wave of resentment against Republicans, with the party suffering several defeats during the midterm election in typically conservative strongholds like Texas, Kansas and Iowa.
Voter backlash against Trump’s Republican party has been driven in large part by economic woes, blamed on his administration’s tariffs and war with Iran, according to exit polls.
Colom, a local prosecutor, used the national mood to his advantage, highlighting his opponent’s support for Trump’s tariffs and giving her the nickname “Cindy High Prices”.
The Democrat campaigned aggressively, visiting all of Mississippi’s 82 counties.
Hyde-Smith’s campaign assailed Colom as a puppet of billionaire liberal donor George Soros, whose family has helped fund the Democrat’s political campaigns.
The Republican was criticised for a lack of public appearances.
