NEW: Colom EXPANDS LEAD again over Hyde-Smith in MS Senate race

As we speak, more ballots are being processed. in Mississippi's click-hanger Senate race. As it stands right now, Democrat Scott Colombe has. expanded his lead. over Republican incumbent Cindy. Hyde-Smith to just over 3 ,000 votes. And we're waiting on a number of affidavit. and absentee ballots that could finally. lead to a call in that race. Nnamdi Guanwu is on the ground in Jackson, Mississippi for us. Jonathan Capehart is back with us. Nnamdi, I understand we just got some new. mail-in ballots added to the total.

What can you tell YES, EXACTLY. THERE WERE 67 MAIL-IN BALLOTS. ESSENTIALLY THESE ARE THE BALLOTS. THAT WERE POSTMARKED WERE RECEIVED BY ELECTION. DAY AND RECEIVED BY YESTERDAY'S DEADLINE. SO OF THOSE 67 ALL WERE ACCEPTED, NONE REJECTED. AND THE BREAKDOWN WAS 61 FOR SCOTT COLOMB, 3 FOR CINDY THIRD FOR THE INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE, TY PINKENS. SO HERE'S WHY THAT'S SIGNIFICANT. THE HOPE IS THE LARGER NUMBER OF. AFFIDAVIT BALLOTS THAT ARE BEING. PROCESSED WHICH IS ABOUT I THINK 800 OR. SO THAT HAVE been accepted,

they're hoping you see a similar trend. that we saw in those mail-in ballots, that they heavily skew towards Scott Cologne. And that with that, this Heinz County, once those. are processed, could be what puts him over. the edge. and what MAKES THIS RACE, THE OUTCOME OF THIS RACE A. LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR. THE RESOLUTION BOARD RIGHT NOW IS FAST AT WORK. TRYING TO PROCESS THEM AS QUICKLY AS THEY CAN. WE'VE BEEN TOLD IT'S GOING TO TAKE A COUPLE OF. HOURS BUT REALLY THE CALLUME CAMPAIGN. MAINTAINING THEIR CONFIDENCE THAT WHEN ALL IS. I SPOKE TO A HINDS COUNTY LEGAL.

OFFICIAL AND I ASKED HIM, LOOK, THERE HAS BEEN RUMBLINGS THAT. THERE COULD BE POSSIBLE LITIGATION. WHAT MARGIN DO YOU THINK WOULD MAKE THAT LIKELY? AND WHAT THEY TOLD ME IS, LOOK, IT'D HAVE TO BE FAR NARROWER THAN. WHAT WE'RE SEEING FOR THERE TO BE A CASE. THIS IS A STATE THAT DOES NOT HAVE AN AUTOMATIC. RECOUNT LAW. THIS IS A STATE THAT DOES GIVE. CANDIDATES THE ABILITY TO SCRUTINIZE. BALLOTS AFTER THE FACT, BUT AS FAR AS CHALLENGING. RESULTS, THERE TENDS TO BE A HIGHER BAR TO GET. away with that. And the margin, as we see, may make that a difficult. thing. for Cindy Hyde-Smith to do. if we see the trends continue to play out. as they are.

So we're waiting for those affidavit ballots. to continue being processed and for this vote count to. continue. to be updated. But as of now, those 67 mail-in ballots. nearly all went. to Scott Cologne. Jonathan, we are watching democracy. in progress still a week after the election. It has been remarkable to me to watch. young voters turn out in this election, specifically in Mississippi. There were young voters who bust in. on the final day to have their ballots cured. because they wanted to make sure. that their vote was counted. Take a.

TOUGALOO STUDENTS, AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO. SEE IF THEY. VOTED AFFIDAVIT. AND IF THEY NEED A RIDE TO KNOW, SECURE THE BALLOT. REMEMBER 24 before elections and a lot. of my friends who didn't vote. And I remember thinking and asking myself, did I do everything in my will to be able to. make sure that our people were able to go out and. I DIDN'T.

I SAID I CAN'T LET THIS MOMENT GO BACK. I THINK ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT'S. DECISION ON KALAIS, I THINK ABOUT I THINK ABOUT REPUBLICANS MESSING. WITH THE MAPS. I THINK ABOUT THEIR EFFORTS TO DO. AWAY WITH MAIL-IN BALLOTS. THE UPSHOT HAS BEEN AN AMERICAN. PUBLIC AND AN AMERICAN generation. of young people that are showing up. in ways they may have never before. And specifically, young black voters. You know, one of the more one. of the most moving images of many.

during this midterm campaign. season was seeing black students. in North Carolina who had their. voting places pulled off college. campuses march up to like 45. minutes just to be able to cast. their ballots early. And in Mississippi, what you just showed there. I think is. a continuation of that. We're talking about and I'm speaking. specifically. about African Americans who fought. hard to get the right to vote,

who are fighting hard to keep. the right to vote. And specifically in Mississippi, with the assassination of Medgar Evers, the killing of Emmett Till, and now, you know, the mystery surrounding Nolan Wells. All of these things are at play here when we see, particularly African Americans, make their voices heard at the ballot box. And if things to, if things go the way it. looks.

like they're going with, if I remember right, there's 98 % of the vote in, and Scott Cologne is. leading. in the race right now. We could be seeing history being made. in a state where a lot. of history has been made and it's not IT'S NOT BEEN. POSITIVE. AND IF SCOTT CULLUM PULLS THIS OFF, HE WILL BE THE FIRST AFRICAN. AMERICAN ELECTED TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE FROM. MISSISSIPPI SINCE RECONSTRUCTION,

AND SO THAT IS THE POWER OF THIS MOMENT. I THINK THAT IS WHY YOUNG PEOPLE MADE IT THEIR. MISSION TO ENSURE THAT THEY GOT OUT TO VOTE, won and that their vote got counted second. Right. You can be raised with the lesson that to be. a good ancestor is to invest and show up. in the process. And then there are moments in IN HISTORY THAT MAKE THE. STAKES. PARTICULARLY CLEAR, IT IS NOTABLE TO ME, JONATHAN, THAT WE HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH FROM.

SENATOR CINDY HYDE SMITH DURING ALL OF THIS, A CBS REPORTER CAUGHT UP WITH HER, AND I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO WHAT SHE HAD TO. WE HAVE GOT A FEW THOUSAND OUNCE, SO WE ARE FEELING VERY OPTIMISTIC. WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S SO CLOSE? HOW DID IT GET SO CLOSE IN MISSISSIPPI? I APPRECIATE THAT SHE IS A WOMAN A FEW WORDS, BUT THE LACK OF INTEREST IN GRAPPLING WITH THAT. QUESTION SEEMS LIKE IT'S OWN TELL, JONATHAN? YEAH. BECAUSE MAYBE SHE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS GOING TO. BE IN THE BACK FOR HER.

MAYBE SHE THOUGHT THAT THE HISTORY OF. MISSISSIPPI'S VOTING WOULD BE THE THING. THAT WOULD CARRY HER OVER IN A CAMPAIGN. WHERE SHE HAS BASICALLY BEEN. NONEXISTENT. THE FACT THAT SHE CANNOT SPEAK, ANSWER questions from media. or even talk to the people of Mississippi. about this campaign and why it's so close. And why exactly does she think? And the one time I did hear, she just said, you know, we'll prevail or something like that.

How, Madam Senator? You know, when people run for elective office, they are beholden to the people who put. them in office. They are public servants. And for her not to be, I don't know, feeling that she is accountable to the public. might be one of the reasons why she could. possibly lose her Senate that seat.