Updated

On Wednesday, Democrat Scott Colom won Mississippi's US Senate seat, becoming the state's first Black man to serve there in 145 years. The result was announced at the Masonic Lodge Hall in Jackson, home of the NAACP's state headquarters, more than a week after election day, and Black Mississippians celebrated a win that few had expected. Colom's victory is the first Democratic win in the seat in more than 40 years. One attendee, Cedric Haynes, said: "it's hard to put it into words what this moment means for us." BBC US & Canada reported that the win came as Republicans moved to reduce majority-black districts after a US Supreme Court ruling overturned parts of the Voting Rights Act, a change many experts say weakens black voting power. BBC US & Canada reported that Colom won despite trailing the Republican incumbent, Cindy Hyde-Smith, by roughly $2m in campaign donations, according to FEC records. Colom had told NBC News in early November that Democrats had long conceded the state. The NAACP said it knocked on more than 150,000 doors, and exit polls showed 91% of black voters backed Colom. Turnout rose by about 300,000 compared with the 2022 midterms, and Mississippi Votes said more than 600 Jackson State University students voted this year, up from roughly 100 in the last midterm.