密西西比州参议员辛迪·海德-史密斯（共和党人）表示，尽管她的民主党挑战者斯科特·科洛姆在周二已计票超过95%的参议院选举中以微弱优势领先，但她对连任前景“感到非常乐观”。
Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) is “feeling very optimistic” about her reelection odds despite her Democratic challenger, Scott Colom, narrowly leading her in the Senate race with over 95 percent of the vote counted as of Tuesday.
“我们投出了几千张选票，所以我们感到非常乐观，”这位现任参议员在一次罕见的走廊采访中对CBS新闻记者凯特琳·休伊-伯恩斯表示——她过去曾拒绝接受此类采访。
“We got a few thousand out so we’re feeling very optimistic,” the incumbent senator told CBS News’s Caitlin Huey-Burns in a rare hallway interview — which she has refused in the past.
据《国会山报》的选举预测合作伙伴Decision Desk HQ报道，周二下午，这个历史上偏红的州的参议院选举仍未定案，民主党人在上周中期选举后以略多于2500票的优势领先。
The Senate race in the historically red-leaning state remains uncalled as of Tuesday afternoon, with the Democrat maintaining a lead of a little over 2,500 votes following last week’s midterms, according to The Hill’s election forecasting partner, Decision Desk HQ.
密西西比州共和党主席迈克·赫斯特早些时候对媒体表示，如果“法律得到遵守，选民表达了意愿”，该州共和党将接受任何结果。
Mississippi Republican Party Chair Mike Hurst told the press earlier that if “the laws are followed and the voters spoke,” the state GOP will accept either outcome.
当被问及是否本可以做得更多来让竞选不那么激烈时，海德-史密斯对休伊-伯恩斯说：“我们非常努力，开展了一场非常好的竞选活动。”在民主党赢得中期选举的压倒性胜利——夺取国会两院控制权后，密西西比州和阿拉斯加州是仅剩的两个尚未确定各自国会选举结果的州。
When asked if she could have done more to make the race less competitive, Hyde-Smith told Heuy-Burns, “We worked very hard and had a very good campaign.”Mississippi and Alaska are the only two states left to call the results of their respective congressional elections after Democrats secured sweeping victories in the midterms — taking control of both chambers of the Congress.
密西西比州的选票仍在接收中，该州允许邮寄选票在选举日前盖邮戳，并在选举后五个工作日内计票和接收。
The ballots are still being received in Mississippi, which allows mail ballots to be counted and received up to five business days after the election as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
科洛姆周一抨击选举预测人士低估了他赢得参议院选举的机会，该州自1982年以来未曾选出过一名民主党参议员。
Colom blasted election handicappers on Monday for underestimating his chances of winning the Senate race in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982.
“在某个时候，我们必须谈谈《库克政治报告》以及其他‘预测者’，他们在竞选周期的大部分时间里将我和其他南方候选人标记为稳固的共和党人，”科洛姆在社交平台X上写道。“他们让筹款变得更加困难，也是南方长期被忽视的部分原因。”
“At some point, we have to talk about [Cook Political Report] and other ‘prognosticators’ who had me and other southern candidates labeled as solid R for much of the campaign cycle,” Colom wrote on social platform X. “They made it much more difficult to fundraise and are part of the reason the South has been neglected for so long.”
海德-史密斯的律师最近在一封发给密西西比州82个县选举委员的信中要求，他们将宣誓选票分开，记录其处理情况，并保存“所有相关材料”。
Attorneys for Hyde-Smith recently demanded in a letter sent to the election commissioners in all 82 Mississippi counties that they separate the affidavit ballots, document their disposition and preserve “all associated materials.”
科洛姆的律师在回复县选举委员的信中表示，这些要求“在密西西比州法律中没有依据”。“如果你们按照被要求的做法，偏离常规选举程序，将侵犯密西西比州选民的权利和密西西比州选举法，”该律师在信中写道。
Colom’s attorney, in a response letter to county election commissioners, said the demands “have no basis in Mississippi law.”“If you depart from ordinary election procedures as you have been asked to do, you will violate Mississippi voters’ rights and Mississippi election law,” the lawyer wrote in the letter.
根据目前的统计，民主党预计将拥有54个参议院席位，如果密西西比州和阿拉斯加州转向支持他们，该数字可能上升至56个。
The Democrats are slated to hold 54 Senate seats under the current tally, and if Mississippi and Alaska swing in their favor, the number could rise to 56.