Trump rallies for Hyde-Smith in Mississippi as Senate contest draws late attention

Cindy Hyde-Smith speaks at a campaign podium while Donald Trump stands behind her in an earlier Mississippi rally photograph. — Source: Fox News

Summary

Donald Trump campaigned for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith at Crossroads Arena in Corinth on Oct. 26.
The Nov. 3 Mississippi Senate ballot lists Hyde-Smith, Democrat Scott Colom and independent Ty Pinkins.
The rally came as national parties devoted resources to a race in a state Trump carried comfortably in 2024.

A late rally in Corinth

CORINTH, Mississippi — President Donald Trump campaigned for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith at Crossroads Arena on Monday, Oct. 26, urging supporters to vote in the Nov. 3 midterm election. Trump told the crowd he came to make sure the incumbent won, according to the Associated Press, Reuters and Mississippi Today, which each reported from the rally. His visit put a presidential campaign stop in a state Republicans have usually been able to count on in Senate elections.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Hyde-Smith briefly took the stage and called for voters to return her to Washington in support of Trump's agenda, Mississippi Today reported. The president praised her and attacked Democratic challenger Scott Colom, a district attorney from northern Mississippi. Colom was in Corinth too, speaking with voters outside the venue before Trump arrived; he criticized Hyde-Smith for declining to debate him, according to the local outlet. Those exchanges were campaign arguments, not findings about either candidate's record.^{[1] [3]}

Why the race has drawn national attention

Mississippi's official candidate list identifies three contenders for the Senate seat: Hyde-Smith, Colom and independent Ty Pinkins. Reuters reported that Trump won the state by nearly 23 percentage points in 2024 and that a Democrat has not won one of its U.S. Senate seats since 1982. Those historical advantages still matter, but Reuters said several election analysts no longer treat Hyde-Smith's reelection as certain. That assessment describes uncertainty before voting, not a forecast of the outcome.^{[2] [4]}

Both parties have put more resources into the contest. Reuters reported a $1.2 million ad campaign announced by Senate Majority PAC on Colom's behalf and visits from national Democratic figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. Mississippi Today separately reported that Harris rallied with Colom in Columbus three days before Trump's Corinth event. The spending and visits show how the parties are treating the race in the final stretch; neither establishes how Mississippi voters will decide it.^{[2] [3]}

The final week

At the rally, Trump sought to turn his own supporters out for a midterm ballot on which he is not a candidate, while Hyde-Smith framed the contest around control of the Senate and her support for his policies, Mississippi Today reported. Colom has emphasized living costs and accused the incumbent of being out of touch; Hyde-Smith has cast him as too liberal for the state. The Associated Press described the visit as part of Trump's broader series of closing campaign appearances in states he won in 2024.^{[1] [3]}

Mississippi voters choose among the three Senate candidates on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the Secretary of State's official ballot and election calendar. The result will be determined by votes counted after the election, not by the size of a rally, partisan spending or preelection ratings. The closing days will test whether Trump's appearance helps Hyde-Smith mobilize her base and whether Colom can turn the heightened attention into enough support for an upset.^{[2] [4]}

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