'Monumental’: MS NOW instantly reacts to Colom’s STUNNING Mississippi Senate win

REVEREND SHARPTON, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TONIGHT? IT'S A MONUMENTAL AND historic victory, you must remember for this man to win the first. black senator since reconstruction. We're not even talking about now, AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SINCE RECONSTRUCTION. AND THE FIRST DEMOCRAT TO WIN. AND DO IT WITHOUT BEING ANOINTED OR APPOINTED BY. THE PARTY. HE RAN AN INDEPENDENT CAMPAIGN. HE WOULD STAND ON THE PRINCIPLES.

THAT HE STOOD FOR. I TALKED TO HIM A COUPLE TIMES THIS WEEK. HE'S DONE MY SHOW A FEW TIMES. AND HE KEPT TELLING ME, REV .MAL, WE'RE GOING TO. WIN THIS. AND HE PUT TOGETHER A UNIQUE COALITION THAT. PROVED SUCCESSFUL. HE COULD DEAL WITH THOSE THAT WERE INDEPENDENT. AND SOME REPUBLICANS THAT DID NOT AGREE. WITH SOME OF WHAT WAS GOING HE WOULD ENERGIZE. DEMOCRATS AND A LOT OF BLACK VOTERS WERE. ENERGIZED AFTER THE DECISION ON.

VOTING RIGHTS BY THE SUPREME COURT. AND THE NOLAN WELLS QUESTIONS IN. in Mississippi. So it was all of this coming together, but he had to be the perfect one to know how to. weave it together and not give up his soul. They didn't want him to have Kamala Harris come. down there and campaign. He did it HE WAS THE KIND OF PERSON THAT. SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. HE WAS THE RIGHT PERSON AT THE RIGHT TIME TO. BRING MISSISSIPPI INTO A WHOLE new era. You know, politics is about voting in.

a democracy, but voting rights is about what kind. of country we are. I mean, you've devoted so much your career to it. Can you speak to that in Mississippi, where as you say people understood the move. because we've seen this move many different ways. Sometimes it has been with direct state violence. Other times, of course, it has been. through tricks and ploys. and gerrymandering, as I've told the viewers, is THE SUPREME COURT IS TELLING US THERE WAS A. REACTION DOWN THERE TO THAT AND THE TARGETING.

AND CAGING OF BLACK VOTERS. IF YOU SEE THE CAYLESS DECISION. AND WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS. DEMOCRATS WERE FOR REALLY TO SAY, GO AHEAD AND RE-DISTRICT. BLACK REPRESENTATION OUT, DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATION. OUT. IT WAS CERTAINLY MORE FELT and visceral. in Mississippi, where Medgie Evers and Freedom Summer. 1964 fought for voting rights. So you're dealing with voters today who are.

either senior and. FOR YOU NOW TO COME IN A STATE WHERE MEDGIVER'S. HOME IS THERE. I'VE BEEN THERE WITH MERRILLY EVERS'S WIDOW. AND WHERE PEOPLE LOOK AT A MAN GOT OUT. OF HIS CAR AND IN HIS DRIVEWAY AT HIS HOME. WITH HIS CHILDREN INSIDE, HE WAS KILLED. JUST FOR REGISTERING VOTERS, AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO COME BACK WITH. REDISTRICTING OUT OF ALL THESE YEARS,

THAT ENERGIZES A LOT OF PEOPLE, BLACK AND WHITE. You must remember Goodman, Cheney and Schwerner were. killed, two Jews and a black to get the right to vote. So this was something that cut deep, and I think they underestimated that. on the right-wing THEY WON THE BATTLE. IN THE SUPREME COURT, BUT THEY LOST THE WAR IN MISSISSIPPI. AND WE'RE TAKING IN THIS HISTORY RIGHT NOW, THE BLUE WAVE CRESTING IF YOU'RE JOINING US, WE HAVE THIS CALL, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF. MISSISSIPPI GOING BLUE,

DEMOCRATIC AS WELL. THAT EXPANDS THE SENATE. MARGIN. ELECTION NIGHT OF COURSE STARTED TUESDAY NIGHT. BUT THE CALLS CONTINUE NOW. I JUST WANT TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT WE We have, we still have Michelle Goldberg standing. by who's going to be joining our coverage. We have Ali Velshi standing by. in our newsroom just as we did Tuesday night. So we have a lot to get to. Stay with us now. We want to bring in another special guest. on our now extending. BREAKING COVERAGE, MS NOW'S SIMONE. SANDERS-TOWNSEND HOST. OF THE WEEKNIGHT WHO IS IN, AS MENTIONED, JACKSON, MISS. TELL US BOTH YOUR REACTION AND WHAT YOU'RE.

LEARNING FROM THE Cologne CAMPAIGN. WELL, ARRIE, I MEAN I WAS I'M SITTING. HERE WITH OUR. COLLEAGUE NAMDI AT TOOGALOO COLLEGE. RIGHT BEHIND ME IS WHERE TONIGHT AT 9 P .M. EASTERN 8 P .M. LOCAL TIME NOW SENATOR-ELECT SCOTT COLOMB. WILL ADDRESS HIS SUPPORTERS AT A. RALLY RIGHT HERE. ON THIS CAMPUS WE ARE GETTING THAT LIVE FROM. THE CAMPAIGN I SPOKE AT ABOUT 5 P .M. LOCAL TIME 6 P .M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME WITH SCOTT. COLOMB'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER.

BECAUSE WE WERE HEARING THAT. SENATOR CINDY HYDE SMITH CALLED. HIM TO CONCEDE SHE DID IN FACT. PLACE A PHONE CALL I WAS TOLD AT 5 P .M. LOCAL TIME ABOUT TEN MINUTES. AGO TEN MINUTES BEFORE THEN TO. SCOTT COLOMB AND I ASKED WHAT DID. NOW SENATOR-ELECT COLOMB SAY TO. SENATOR HYDE SMITH HE SAID THANK. YOU SENATOR AND GOD BLESS RIGHT NOW Now, as we speak, I believe the senator-elect. is on the phone, fielding phone calls, preparing his speech for. this evening. His wife has just arrived to the venue.

where he is. And so we should expect to see again right. behind me. They're already setting up. There are there's drums, there are cheers here on. the campus. as the students heard that Senator Cindy. Hyde-Smith has. conceded in this race and Scott Colom is now the. next senator. from Mississippi. I will note Ari as Reverend Sharpton is giving. the history there. Right here on this campus in Toulouse College. in 1961, nine students from this very campus. went to Jackson, right here in Jackson, Mississippi, the whites-only library and they sat down to.

read and they were arrested it was medgar evers. that prepared them to go to that library. and it's right here on this campus tonight. where scott colomb will be the first, we'll get his first remarks. And he is the first black senator ever elected. by Mississippi. voters to the United States Senate. and only the first Democrat since 1982. Lastly, I will note during reconstruction. senators were selected by the state legislature.

so real history is in fact in many different ways or. it's being made here. tonight because mississippi voters have. chosen scott cologne and they are sending. him to the Senate? You make such great points in reminding everyone of. that. We have, Simone, we have this strange. constitutional. history where initially the Senate. was not a direct body. So when we go back far enough. and we're going all the way back to. reconstruction here. We're talking about different precedents. They meant something then, but we didn't have the. direct involvement. of the citizens.

And in the deep south, black voters, of course, as you and Rev were reminding everyone, systematically. and systematically prevent it as well. Simone, what example do you think. Cologne brings into what is now. this broadening blue wave majority? What example in terms of how he ran and won? Well, look, I think he ran a phenomenal. campaign, okay? He was laser focused on the issues. He is a seventh generation Mississippian. As Nandi noted, he has been elected. multiple times. in a district that is 61 % white,

but he first WON THAT RACE BY. UNSEEDING A 37-YEAR INCUMBENT. AND SO THAT TO ME SAID, WHEN I SAW THAT, THAT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING HERE IN MISSISSIPPI. YOU COUPLE THAT WITH THE STATE SENATE. SEAT FLIPS THAT HAPPENED IN 2025. breaking the Republican supermajority. in the Mississippi State Senate. That is a reflective of the organizing, Ari, that has happened here on the ground. You know, I used to work campaigns. for a very long time, and I've seen a lot of excellent. candidates with great messages right. for the district or the state, but if they don't have the infrastructure.

in place, if they don't have the fundraising, if the community. and the electorate has not been engaged, oftentimes they're not successful. What happened here in Mississippi. is a result of a great candidate, but a community that has been doing. this organizing work for well. over 10 years in between elections when. there was not a race or anybody on the ballot. So black Mississippians have truly. been doing the work and young people. I will just lastly note, I spent some time this. morning, Ari, with the students here on Tougaloo's campus.

And on Tuesday, they took themselves down to. Jackson State University to help. college students there cure their ballots. before the 5 p .m. deadline to make sure that their vote. could be counted. And so, the young people in this state have been. engaged and organized, not just over the past couple of months, but I would argue for the past couple of years, and tonight they're feeling jubilant. Everybody keeps shushing the students. as they walk by because they're so excited. about what's about to happen behind me. Well, we don't have to shush anybody.

We'll take all ambient noise and reactions. It's America. Simone, you're going to be. busy. We'll be checking back in with you. I want to tell voters, you're watching our breaking. special election coverage now. of the call being made. Scott Colombe is now declared the projected. winner of this Mississippi Senate race, which also expands the Democrat Senate majority. This news breaking within the last 15 minutes. right here in the 6 p .m. hour on the East Coast. It's election night in America again. because we count the votes. until we get the results and that means Ali Velshi is.

at the big board. Ali, you were following this. We were together over a week ago late at night. We all agreed this is going to be. the one we're going to be spending time. on after everything is over. What can you show us? First of all, Scott Colom has been. projected the winner. with a lead of 4 ,669 votes. Now, if you look at what's outstanding, what hasn't been counted yet, you can. see there's 12 ,450 votes. how is he winning? How can we declare him the. winner? I'll tell you why. There's very little vote outstanding here. There's a little bit here and there's a little. bit here. This is Lee County.

Let's go and take a look at what happened. in these two counties. I'll go back out here. If you go to Lee County, to Jackson County down here, we were waiting for the final few votes. Everything but about 35 votes has been. counted here, 99 % in. Cindy Hyde-Smith is underperforming what she. would have needed to perform to win here. She'd have had to have in excess of 60 % here. So she's not going to get more vote there. If you go up to Lee County right now, 94 % of the vote in, there is still vote. available here, but not enough to have. her make up that difference.

And the same thing here in Harrison County, 97 %. in, not enough. for her to make up the difference. So the bottom line is if all the outstanding. votes broke for her, and if she got more than 65 % of. the outstanding vote, she could. have won. But she's not getting that number anywhere. in the state. And the number, the votes that are still. coming in are. in places we finished Jackson County finally. That's 99 % in. But look at that, how that. broke. That was 80 to 19. So that's the pattern, that everything that's. left out there is breaking toward Scott Colom. And hence, even though we're at 99%,

and even though it's a 4 VOTE LEAD, JUST A LITTLE OVER 4 ,000, WE'RE. COMFORTABLE SAYING THAT SCOTT COLOMB IS. GOING TO BE THE NEXT SENATOR.