US midterm elections 2026 live: Democrats eye historic upset in Mississippi Senate race as Republican blame game begins | US midterm elections 2026
Mississippi count continues with Democratic candidate ahead by a razor-thin margin
Welcome to our continuing coverage of the 2026 midterms where almost 24 hours after Democrats secured their historic sweep of the US Congress, two Senate seats remain in play.
Counting in Alaska is expected to continue into Thursday, while in deep red Mississippi, Democrats could be close to pulling off another almighty upset. Currently, Democrat Scott Colom is leading his Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 1,138 votes with almost 96% of the vote counted.
In the last few hours, votes for Colom have been outpacing those for his Republican opponent, although new batches of votes have not been reported for several hours now.
Although a race this close would automatically trigger a recount in some states, Mississippi has no law on the books for initiating a recount.
Democrats haven’t won a US Senate seat in Mississippi since 1982, and Donald Trump carried the state by 22 points in 2024. It’s been much longer – not since 1875 – that the state elected a Black person to that office.
Colom is a seventh-generation Mississippian, whose father was a Republican who campaigned for Ronald Reagan and was friends with Thad Cochran, a longtime state politician. In 2015, he unseated a nearly 30-year incumbent when he was elected the first Black district attorney for the 16th circuit. As district attorney, he had a 94% success rate for convictions.
Meanwhile, after Democrats secured their historic wins in last night’s midterm elections, Republicans are beginning the blame game:
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Donald Trump claimed Republicans fared poorly because he was not on the ballot – after repeatedly urging voters to pretend he was on the ballot.
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JD Vance pointed to Trump’s ongoing war in Iran as the “obvious” culprit for the loss.
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Pete Hegseth’s role leading the unpopular war could lead to him taking the fall – despite Trump publicly backing him. Republicans including Trump foe Thomas Massie have criticized the defense secretary.
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Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, said the “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans” was caused in part by his party failing to target their ad spending on issues that would motivate voters.
According to exit polls from the Associated Press, voters said the cost of living and government corruption were their two top issues. But how will Trump cope with this new political reality?
The Guardian’s David Smith explores that – and whether these elections mark the beginning of the end for Trump – this analysis piece here:
Key events
Analysis: Trump-backed Republicans lose dozens of US midterm races, raising questions over his influence
Ariana Baio
Dozens of Republican candidates directly endorsed by Donald Trump lost their US midterm election races, according to analysis by the Guardian, raising questions over the power of the president’s support.
In past elections, Trump’s endorsements have been coveted. In the final stages of this year’s campaign, he actively urged voters to act as though he were on the ballot.
But just half of the 26 candidates Trump endorsed for the US Senate had won their elections as of Wednesday at 5pm ET, according to a Guardian tally.
Of the 23 candidates for state governor endorsed by Trump, only nine had won their elections. Twelve were defeated, with two races still to be called.
The president’s endorsed House candidates fared better, with roughly 60% winning their races, although many in competitive House districts were defeated.
In total, 46 Trump-backed candidates for the House have lost so far, with Trump’s tumbling approval ratings appearing to challenge the influence of his public support for Republican candidates.
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Oil prices have fallen sharply in the aftermath of the overwhelming victory by Democrats in the US midterm elections, reflecting expectations that Donald Trump will now be unable to conduct an aggressive agenda, including continuing the war on Iran, experts said.
Investors are wagering that gridlock in Washington after the stunning sweep by Democrats in the US midterm elections will be good for markets, as hopes rise of a possible end to the crippling eight-month-long war in the Middle East.
Brent crude futures fell to a two-month low below $100 per barrel as the election results left a weakened president facing a choice between a negotiated exit and a riskier escalation.
After the results became clear, Trump said the Iran war has been worth it, despite acknowledging its role in the Republicans’ election losses. “The Iran thing we had to do, and we continue to do it,” he told reporters.
The US-Israeli war with Iran, which started at the end of February, has sent shock waves across the global energy markets, driven up prices and upended the global rates outlook. Many of the major central banks have raised interest rates this year to tackle inflation.
As we reported earlier, votes for Scott Colom in Mississippi are starting to outpace those for his Republican opponent in what has been an otherwise neck-and-neck race for the state’s Senate seat.
According to the most recent tabulation from the Associated Press, Colom leads Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes with almost 96% of the vote counted – still a small margin, but increasingly significant after a lead of just 28 votes yesterday.
Strong support in majority-Black counties has helped make the seat in Mississippi unexpectedly competitive for Democrats. As of noon Wednesday, Colom had received about 73% of the vote in those counties while running neck-and-neck with Hyde-Smith statewide.
Nancy Pelosi has issued a statement after Connie Chan conceded in the race to fill the former speaker’s vacant seat, congratulating Democrat Scott Wiener on his election to the Congress.
Chan – also a Democrat and Pelosi’s chosen candidate – said she had no clear path to victory, despite the Associated Press not yet calling the race.
“Connie Chan brought courage, conviction and a deep love for San Francisco to this campaign,” Pelosi said in the statement.
As a working mom, a public servant, and an immigrant, she gave voice to families whose struggles she knows firsthand. I was proud to support her, and I am so proud of the campaign she ran.”
Pelosi also reflected on her historic run in the House, which saw her elected as the first female Speaker of the House almost 20 years ago.
For nearly four decades, San Franciscans have entrusted me with the privilege of being their voice in the House. My gratitude is boundless, and my confidence in our city’s future remains strong. Our work for a fairer, more just America continues.”
Democrat Connie Chan has conceded in the race to fill Nancy Pelosi’s vacant seat in the House of Representatives. Chan, Pelosi’s preferred candidate in the race, congratulated fellow Democrat Scott Wiener.
The Associated Press is yet to call the California race, but in a statement posted online, Chan said that she did not believe there was a viable path to victory.
I am deeply grateful to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her trust and for four decades of extraordinary service.”
A state senator, Wiener is known for his work on housing and LGBTQ+ rights.
Continued from the last post:
Across the US, editors worked into the night on Tuesday to get out late editions of their papers. In Chicago, the Sun Times captured newly elected Senator Juliana Stratton as she celebrated her party’s victory, under the headline “Dem-olition”.
A slew of historic wins were recorded throughout the night, including the election of the first Muslim senator, the first openly gay senator and the first black female governor in the US.
Keisha Lance Bottom’s win was described as “historic” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution – an online publication which produces a daily front page. The paper notes that the governor-elect has shattered “racial and gender glass ceilings” on a day the US elected “four Black governors”.
Highlighting the end of the Republican party’s “stranglehold on Texas politics”, the Dallas Morning News captured two of the night’s biggest wins under the headline “Wave of change”.
Senator-elect James Talarico and Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa shared the front page, after a night that saw the Democrats sweep to victory in deep red Texas.
With the results showing hispanic voters swinging away from Trump, California’s Spanish-language daily La Opinión produced one of the more memorable front pages.
Above a picture of a battered Maga hat, the paper’s headline simply reads “National punishment”.
How papers across the world reacted to Trump’s midterm loss
The results of America’s historic midterm elections reverberated around the world on Wednesday, with front pages reflecting on a night that saw Donald Trump dealt a punishing blow by the US electorate.
“Trumped” was the Guardian’s headline on Thursday’s edition, with reporter Ed Pilkington noting that, with the president’s party stripped of control of Congress, the country was waking up to a “radically altered political landscape”.
A late edition of the New York Post captured the scale of Trump’s defeat on Wednesday. Riffing on Hokusai’s Great Wave artwork, the paper notes it was a “historic romp for Democrats”, under the headline “Blue Tsunami”.
The English-language Tehran Times, which is closely aligned with the government, said in its headline: “US hegemony crumbling; Iran will never surrender”.
With a selection of midterms stories across the front page, the paper quotes senior figures under a subhead that reads “Iranian officials link Republican election defeat to US war against Iran”.
Mississippi count continues with Democratic candidate ahead by a razor-thin margin
Welcome to our continuing coverage of the 2026 midterms where almost 24 hours after Democrats secured their historic sweep of the US Congress, two Senate seats remain in play.
Counting in Alaska is expected to continue into Thursday, while in deep red Mississippi, Democrats could be close to pulling off another almighty upset. Currently, Democrat Scott Colom is leading his Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 1,138 votes with almost 96% of the vote counted.
In the last few hours, votes for Colom have been outpacing those for his Republican opponent, although new batches of votes have not been reported for several hours now.
Although a race this close would automatically trigger a recount in some states, Mississippi has no law on the books for initiating a recount.
Democrats haven’t won a US Senate seat in Mississippi since 1982, and Donald Trump carried the state by 22 points in 2024. It’s been much longer – not since 1875 – that the state elected a Black person to that office.
Colom is a seventh-generation Mississippian, whose father was a Republican who campaigned for Ronald Reagan and was friends with Thad Cochran, a longtime state politician. In 2015, he unseated a nearly 30-year incumbent when he was elected the first Black district attorney for the 16th circuit. As district attorney, he had a 94% success rate for convictions.
Meanwhile, after Democrats secured their historic wins in last night’s midterm elections, Republicans are beginning the blame game:
-
Donald Trump claimed Republicans fared poorly because he was not on the ballot – after repeatedly urging voters to pretend he was on the ballot.
-
JD Vance pointed to Trump’s ongoing war in Iran as the “obvious” culprit for the loss.
-
Pete Hegseth’s role leading the unpopular war could lead to him taking the fall – despite Trump publicly backing him. Republicans including Trump foe Thomas Massie have criticized the defense secretary.
-
Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, said the “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans” was caused in part by his party failing to target their ad spending on issues that would motivate voters.
According to exit polls from the Associated Press, voters said the cost of living and government corruption were their two top issues. But how will Trump cope with this new political reality?
The Guardian’s David Smith explores that – and whether these elections mark the beginning of the end for Trump – this analysis piece here:
