'Mississippi is going to be making history': INSTANT REACTION to Scott Colom's lead GROWING

Weeknight, Simone Sanders Townsend. She is in Jackson, Mississippi. Nandi, Shauna, Eugene, Stu still with us. All right, Simone, you know everything. about this race. Tell me everything you're hearing. Well, first of all, very happy to see that. MSNOW now rates. Mississippi as lean Democrat. I've been working on Kabir for some months. now to have that. Look, we're here right now at Tougaloo College. in Jackson, Mississippi. I actually got a chance to speak.

with some students. And specifically, there were students here at. Tougaloo. that I spoke with today that yesterday they spent. their time going. over to Jackson State University. and helping students whose ballots were. rejected do what they need to do. in order to have their ballots confirmed. before 5 o o'clock uh they talked to me. about the the many barriers frankly um. that they and the hoops that students. and folks have had to jump. through to ensure that their ballot has. been counted. but the feeling here is jubilant i also.

spoke today with um a former colleague. of mine who also happened to be a former. city administrator here. in mississippi um who has been visiting. all of the counties um and watching. and monitoring the count and they are encouraged. They all say that they believe Scott. Cullum has this, but they are specifically encouraged. because of the margins and the numbers. In some of the most conservative counties, Cullum is winning on these, getting the most,

if you will, on these affidavits. And so to me, that says that this is a. campaign. that has spoken to people across the spectrum. and Mississippi is going to be. making history sometime soon. So what do they think about when this is going. to be called? I know Friday, isn't Friday the next. deadline. for all the counties to report? So and Nnamdi and I have been. actually discussing this offline today, and I've also talked to one of the commissioners in. Madison County. that they themselves were one.

of the ones that are counting. Hines County is really the ball game here. Hines County is the largest county in the state. This is where the most number. of votes are going to come from. And Heinz County, obviously, they gave an update this morning. about an hour and a half ago. They said it might be another hour. and and a half before they are able to. give an additional number. They said they still plan to certify tonight, and so Hines County is what folks. in my estimation are waiting on.

Nnamdi may have something new, but if Hines County comes in, I think that that's everything. that the folks here need. Maybe that the AP needs, maybe that we need, so somebody can call this race. All right, so, Nnamdi, back to you. Hines County has finished counting. have they sent their results in? Right. So they're in the process of doing that. The election commissioner just explained to us, they gave us unofficial numbers. Those numbers again had Scott Colum gaining. about 700 votes. THEY WERE INITIALLY HOPING TO. CERTIFY THOSE RESULTS,

MEANING PROVIDE OFFICIAL RESULTS. TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE THIS EVENING. BUT IT'S NOT LOOKING LIKE THAT. WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW. THERE'S GOING TO BE ADDITIONAL. MEETING IN THE MORNING WHERE. THEY'RE HOPING TO to reconcile. some discrepancies, make sure everything is in order. and then formally submit. that to the secretary of state's office tomorrow, those certified results. The deadline for both Hines and every county in this. state to do so, Katie, is this Friday the 13th. But again, the challenge you think. about mississippi every single. county does things a little bit. differently but the deadline. they all have to operate. under is certifying those results. by this friday okay here's um.

if you were paying attention. if you're a close observer. of the television screen you will notice. that the lead has just gone up. a little bit we just received. another update from. Hines County this time on absentee mail-in ballots. Cologne now leads Hyde Smith. by 4 ,400 AND VOTES STATEWIDE. WE COULD BE GETTING MORE OF THESE UPDATES TODAY. WHICH IS. WHY WE'VE BEEN MONITORING IT SO CLOSELY. SIMONE, JUST ON THE STRATEGY HERE,

IT WAS VERY close in Louisiana. There's talk now about Alabama. Texas went blue. South Carolina went blue. Mississippi is looking. pretty good. North Carolina as well. Florida was closer than. many expected. Should Democrats be rethinking. where they put their money, where they put their efforts. and how exactly they do it? Look, I think so. There are a number of Democratic senators, to be clear, that did believe in races such. as Scott Cullum's race here in Mississippi,

Angie Nixon's race in Florida, the Senate race in Louisiana. And they campaigned for those candidates. I'm thinking about Angela Alsobrooks. She was the first United States. senator to endorse Scott Colombe. and then come down and campaign. for him here. She is also someone that I'm told is looking for. and making a play for leadership. in the Democratic caucus, in the Senate, in this next Congress. Because, you know, I think that Angela. Altabrooks has had.

her finger on the pulse. If you'll remember, she was also campaigning. with Abdul El. Syed the weekend before the election. I will say this, Katie. If you look at the races that got the money. and got the funds, if you will, and you talk to the people at the DSCC, they will tell you that there's finite resources. There's not all this money. You've got to make. decisions. And they say they put their money where. the numbers and the bore out. that they would do well. Well, I would argue that people weren't. really paying attention because I don't. understand how Mississippi can flip.

two state Senate seats in 2025, breaking the supermajority in the Senate. A record number of turnout. Something going on here in Mississippi. I don't know how people can look. at the flips that happened in Florida in 2025, early 2026 and some of these special state. elections and not think. that something was happening in Florida. And so I think that the DSCC, the Democratic Centurial Campaign Committee, pardon me, donors and others really.

just have. to take a step back and say, hey, maybe we missed the mark here. And I do think there's a little. atonement and then a shift. and a strategy to really set out. for 2028 because something is. in fact happening in the south. and with more money frankly I don't think we. would be sitting here a day and a half. after election day a week and a half so. after Election Day, wondering if Scott Colom is. going to. win this race in Mississippi. Yeah, I was talking to a guy.

from Baton Rouge last night who was. saying the same thing. If only a little bit more money was spent. in Louisiana, the Democrat could have won. But, but Simone, just one last question to you. Isn't it also because Scott Cologne ran. such a bottom up campaign? He understood Mississippi. His team understood. Mississippi. The ads were being cut by him. They weren't being cut by national Democrats. that choose another protein ad cut by one. of his staffers that travels with him. You know, is it wasn't beneficial.

for Scott Cologne to not. be so attached to the national. Democratic Party? Is that part of the magic here? No. Look, I want to be very clear. Scott Cologne ran an amazing campaign. He's a seventh generation Mississippian. He's been three times elected. As a D .A. here in the county in Mississippi, he has put. Democrats and Republicans in jail. He has a powerful story to tell, and he was laser-focused on his message. That does not mean he can do all of that.

He can have the local people cut his ads. He can employ all the talented Mississippians. that he wants and he shouldn't, and elevate those folks so that America can see their. talent. But that doesn't mean that the DSCC couldn't. have given him more money. Like, to be very clear, about a week out from. Election Day, they gave $500 ,000 for a joint digital ad, I. believe. What would have happened if people. took Mississippi more seriously a month.

or two months earlier? What would the Senate map look like. for Democrats if folks took Florida. and Angie Nixon seriously after she upset. the DSCC? And post that conversation, Angie Nixon told us that. Chuck Schumer.

said they're taking a look at it. It is unacceptable. The former strategist in me is looking. at this map, is looking at-I'm going all the way back. in North Carolina. Roy Cooper, an amazing candidate, has never lost a race in North Carolina. But to be very clear, North Carolina could have. had a Democratic. senator a couple cycles ago and Sherry Beasley, a state a judge that had been elected. statewide in North Carolina before, but with a little bit more investment. So there is something to be said. about why some of these races don't seem viable. Why is Texas viable? Why is Texas viable?

Why is Alaska an opportunity, but Mississippi and Florida are too far. off the map? I think people have to ask themselves what. we're saying viable is and why we're ascribing. that to some candidates and not others. You're saying for all the success, they did leave money on the table. Simone Sanders, I got more questions, but I am fresh out of time, my friend. So I'm going to say goodbye.