Exclusive / Democrats flock to Mississippi amid Senate vote tally - Semafor

Scott Colom’s lead against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., has increased to 1,724 votes but Democrats aren’t taking any chances with their nominee’s campaign.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Elias Law Group are on the ground while Colom’s campaign observes the count across the state, according to a person familiar with the effort.

Senators are lending a hand, too: Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., won her first Senate race on a recount against a GOP incumbent and is also in Mississippi after making multiple visits this fall.

“Every time we have votes coming in in Mississippi you see Scott Colom getting more and more votes. So I feel confident there,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., told Semafor.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent letters to county clerks and election commissioners asking them to preserve and set aside provisional ballots. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s campaign is still fighting though, vowing that outstanding votes from Republican counties will “reinforce her path to victory.”

Democratic groups also spent more money than previously known to get Colom elected: Senate Majority PAC spent $2.2 million, on top of at least $500,000 from the DSCC.

The vote count in Alaska isn’t quite as far along as in Mississippi, but Cortez Masto said she feels “confident” about Democrat Mary Peltola in her race against incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan.