Hinged on a commitment to champion state needs over “D.C. politics,” 16th Circuit Court District Attorney Scott Colom officially announced today his bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Colom, a Democrat, said he will run on a “common sense” platform focused on issues that affect Mississippians rather than advance a political agenda – a direct challenge to what he sees as Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s party-first voting record.
“We have this problem, across the country really, where people are so partisan that they’re not looking out for their state,” Colom told The Dispatch on the Between the Headlines podcast on Tuesday. “They’re looking out for whatever the (party) leaders in D.C. tell them to do, and that’s just not the type of person I am. I know in my heart that Mississippi deserves a senator that’s going to put us first, and that’s why I’m running.”
A Columbus native, Colom officially announced his candidacy this morning. But on Tuesday, he appeared on Between The Headlines with an agreement the episode would not publish until after his announcement.
Colom has served for the last decade as district attorney for Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties after beating 27-year incumbent Forrest Allgood for the seat in 2015. He ran unopposed when he was reelected in 2019, and he beat Republican challenger Jase Dalrymple for the seat in 2023.
Prosecuting violent crime and maintaining transparency with the public have been key goals of Colom’s during his time in the district attorney’s office, which he said has maintained a 94% conviction rate since 2015.
In October 2022, then-President Joe Biden nominated Colom to serve as the U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Mississippi, a move that received support from U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, District 1 U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly and former governors Phil Bryant and Haley Barbour.
Hyde-Smith’s support, however, was nowhere to be found. In April 2023, she announced she would not support Colom’s nomination to the federal judgeship, citing concerns about “Colom’s opposition to legislation to protect female athletes.”
Despite continued backing from Biden, Hyde-Smith’s opposition appeared to be enough to keep Colom from the federal bench. She announced she would not return a “blue slip” to the Senate Judiciary Committee supporting his nomination. Blue slips are an informal “thumbs up” from a nominee’s home state senators that pave the way to a Senate hearing.
While Hyde-Smith certainly plays a role in Colom’s motivation to run, he said her lack of support in the judicial nomination wasn’t the driving force behind his decision. In fact, he forgave her for it.
“The impetus to run was Senator Hyde-Smith’s record,” Colom said. “… She has a record of declining resources for Mississippi at the benefit of people that live in California, New York and D.C.”
Colom claimed Hyde-Smith uses her voting power in Congress to support policies along party lines, rather than for the good of the state. It’s a bold diversion from what he sees as a Mississippi “tradition of senators like Thad Cochran,” whose priority was securing necessary funding for the state.
“Now I may not have agreed with Thad Cochran on every issue, but he knew his No. 1 job was to bring resources back to Mississippi, and Senator Hyde-Smith, she does not do that,” Colom said. “That’s not her focus. Her focus is on being somebody in D.C., and we can’t afford that in Mississippi. We’re not a state that can afford leadership that’s more focused on what people in D.C. think than what people in Mississippi think.”
‘A common sense Democrat’
Colom describes himself as a “common sense Democrat,” a term he uses not only to distinguish himself from the national party but to also underscore what he sees as a Mississippi-first approach to governing.
“I’m going to use my vote to be my power because I’m going to go there, and I’m not going to be focused on D.C. politics,” Colom said. “If you always vote Democrat, you’re not effective for Mississippi.”
Speaking to The Dispatch on Tuesday, Colom’s stance on different issues didn’t fit neatly into any partisan box. He praised President Donald Trump’s efforts in securing the border, an issue he believes Democrats have failed at addressing.
Colom said he has always been pro-life, but, as a father to two daughters, said he trusts women “to make the choices that are best for them.” That however requires pro-life policymaking, like supporting in vitro fertilization, he said, noting when Hyde-Smith blocked legislation that would protect IVF access in 2024.
Colom acknowledged Hyde-Smith’s previous remarks about his political stances, particularly involving transgender issues and the funding put behind his 2015 election from Mississippi Safety and Justice, a political super-PAC funded by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. He told The Dispatch at the time he had no direct involvement with the contribution.
“I don’t think biological boys should be playing girls’ sports. I don’t think minors should be getting gender-affirming surgery. I don’t think the science is clear enough to allow that,” Colom said. “… When I walk around Lowndes County, I talk to grand juries, I go to the grocery store, nobody’s ever brought that up to me. What they talk about is, ‘Oh man, the grocery prices are so high.’”
While Colom may share common ground with some Mississippians on some social issues, he said he wants to focus on issues that actually affect voters’ day-to-day lives.
“It’s too rare that Mississippi voters hear a Democrat who has common sense ideas that’s rooted in what’s best for the average Mississippian in advancing their life,” he said. “So that’s what I want to focus on.”
Prosecuting the case
Colom sees partisan politics as a hindrance to solving the actual issues facing Mississippi voters. He believes focusing his campaign on that, while also highlighting what he believes are flaws in Hyde-Smith’s voting record, will secure him the seat.
“I think that as a prosecutor, I know how to prosecute a case,” he said. “And I’m about to prosecute the case against Cindy Hyde-Smith.”
He specifically noted that Hyde-Smith frequently attends ribbon cutting ceremonies for projects she voted against funding, like the recent restoration of passenger train service along the Gulf Coast and the expansion of Highway 82 in Starkville.
“Thad Cochran would be rolling in his grave if he knew that he had a senator that replaced him that voted against bringing resources back to Mississippi,” Colom told The Dispatch. “How does that make sense?”
Hyde-Smith replaced Cochran in the Senate after his passing in 2019.
If elected in the November 2026, Colom said he wants to be a senator who “understands that your first responsibility is to our state.”
Specifically, Colom said he wants to support policies that champion job creation and education support, both key components in crime prevention, he said. He also supports raising the minimum wage, which he sees as “one of the few things government can do to help” with wages.
“I’ve dedicated the last 10 years to this community, and what I’m asking the voters in Mississippi to do is to look at my record and look at her record,” he said. “You can’t continuously vote against money in D.C., but brag about the accomplishments in Mississippi. It’s not fair to Mississippi.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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