密西西比州参议院竞选出现异动的最早明确迹象之一出现在9月下旬，当时《华尔街日报》报道称，一些民主党官员和捐赠者对这场“曾被认为不可想象”的竞选表现出浓厚兴趣，并补充说：“参议院少数党领袖舒默近几个月在筹款活动和晚宴上告诉捐赠者，考虑向密西西比州投入资金。”就在这一前后，共和党参议员海德-史密斯此前一直满足于基本无视民主党人科洛姆，开始用毫无根据的诽谤攻击他。
One of the first clear indications that something was brewing in Mississippi’s Senate race came in late September, when The Wall Street Journal reported that some Democratic Party officials and donors had taken a keen interest in the “once-unthinkable” contest, adding, “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has told donors at fundraisers and dinners in recent months to consider putting money into Mississippi.”It was around this time when Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who’d been content to largely ignore Democrat Scott Colom, started to attack him with baseless smears.
几天后，《华盛顿邮报》报道称，科洛姆证明自己是一位极具竞争力的候选人，以至于高层民主党官员“越来越希望他能实现不可思议的胜利”。一周后，奥巴马录制了一则竞选广告支持科洛姆。再过一周，Axios报道称，“恐慌”在共和党圈子蔓延，该党计划向密西西比州“注资”，这“在几个月前根本无法想象”。特朗普的政治团队证实，总统将在该州举行集会，希望挽救共和党现任议员。
Days later, The Washington Post reported that Colom was proving to be such a capable candidate that top Democratic officials were “increasingly hopeful that he could pull off the inconceivable.”A week later, Barack Obama recorded a campaign ad in support of Colom’s candidacy. The week after that, Axios reported that “panic” was spreading in Republican circles, as the party made plans for “a cash infusion for Mississippi,” which “would have been unimaginable” months earlier. Donald Trump’s political operation confirmed that the president would hold a rally in the state in the hopes of rescuing the GOP incumbent.
“今年真的可能是密西西比奇迹之年，”E.J. 迪翁 Jr. 在选举日前两周的《纽约时报》专栏中写道。奇迹虽不太可能，但还是发生了。MS NOW 报道：在或许是2026年中期选举周期中最令人震惊的冷门结果里，民主党人斯科特·科洛姆击败了共和党现任议员辛迪·海德-史密斯，赢得了密西西比州备受瞩目的参议院竞选。
“This really could be the year for a Mississippi miracle,” E.J. Dionne Jr. wrote in a New York Times column, two weeks before Election Day. The miracle was improbable, but it happened anyway. MS NOW reported: In perhaps the most stunning upset of the 2026 midterm cycle, Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s closely contested Senate race.
科洛姆的历史性胜利标志着民主党本周期成功从共和党手中夺回的第八个参议院席位，使该党在参议院的总席位达到55个。如果民主党赢得仍未决出胜负的阿拉斯加参议院竞选，其多数优势将扩大至56比44。
Colom’s historic win marks the eighth Senate seat Democrats were able to flip from Republican control this cycle, giving the party a total of 55 seats in the chamber. If Democrats win the still-undecided Alaska Senate race, their majority will grow to 56-44.
就数字而言，每一位新当选的民主党参议员分量相等，但就政治而言，看着科隆在深南部获胜——就在两年前，特朗普曾在该州以23个百分点的优势获胜——当然是另一番景象。
As a numerical matter, every new Senate Democratic victory carries equal weight, but as a political matter, watching Colom prevail in the Deep South, in a state Donald Trump won by 23 points just two years earlier, certainly different.
随着这场近来最具戏剧性的参议院冷门赛尘埃落定，有几个关键因素值得铭记：历史：1870年，内战后重建时期，密西西比派遣联邦军队随军牧师希拉姆·雷韦尔斯出任参议员，他成为首位进入美国参议院的黑人男子。不久，布兰奇·布鲁斯加入了他的行列，布鲁斯1841年出生于奴隶家庭，最终成为首位完成整个任期的黑人参议员。自此，密西西比再无黑人参议员——直到现在。
As the dust settles on one of the most dramatic Senate upsets in recent memory, there are some key elements to keep in mind: The history: In 1870, during post-Civil War Reconstruction, Mississippi sent Hiram Revels, a Union Army chaplain, to become the first Black man seated in the U.S. Senate. He was soon joined by Blanche Bruce, who was born into slavery in 1841 and ultimately became the first Black man to serve a full term in the Senate. Mississippi hasn’t had a Black senator since — until now.
因果：2023年，时任总统乔·拜登提名科隆出任联邦法官。海德-史密斯阻挠了该提名——这位共和党人抱怨当地检察官不够仇视跨性别者——这最终为科隆的参议院竞选铺平了道路，他在竞选中击败了那位曾不公正对待他的参议员。
The karma: In 2023, then-President Joe Biden nominated Colom to serve as a federal judge. Hyde-Smith blocked the nomination — the Republican complained that the local prosecutor didn’t hate transgender people — which ultimately paved the way for Colom’s Senate campaign, in which he defeated the senator who’d treated him unfairly.
韧性：民主党官员及盟友在视为有竞争力的关键参议院竞选中投入了数千万美元，但在密西西比却未作同等努力——并非因为他们对科隆缺乏信心，而是因为他们认为这场选举根本无法获胜。他们判断失误。
The resilience: While Democratic officials and partners invested tens of millions of dollars in key Senate races they considered competitive, they made no comparable efforts in Mississippi — not because they lacked confidence in Colom, but because they thought the race simply couldn’t be won. They were mistaken.
障碍：正如《大西洋月刊》的亚当·瑟沃尔所解释，共和党官员利用最高法院误入歧途的裁决，采取新举措剥夺黑人选民权利，尤其是在南方。科隆克服了这些障碍。
The hurdles: As The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer explained, Republican officials exploited misguided Supreme Court rulings and took fresh steps to disenfranchise Black voters, especially in the South. Colom overcame the hurdles.
广告：面对牛肉价格高企的追问，海德-史密斯于2月对当地电视台表示：“你们有这么多蛋白质可供选择。”随即，科隆竞选团队抓住这番言论，制作出了2026年最令人难忘、也最重要的竞选广告之一。
The ad: Pressed on high beef prices, Hyde-Smith told a local television station in February, “You have so many proteins to choose from.”Soon after, Colom’s campaign seized on the comments and created one of the most memorable and important ads of 2026.
反响：我能想到许多因参议院胜选而欣喜若狂的民主党人，但只有科隆的胜利引发了街头庆祝。这确实是一场密西西比奇迹。
The reaction: I can think of all kinds of Democrats who were thrilled by Senate victories, but only Colom’s win generated celebrations in the streets. A Mississippi miracle, indeed.