Mississippi elects Democrat Scott Colom as state's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction

Mississippi Democratic nominee Scott Colom has defeated Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's closely contested U.S. Senate race after a prolonged ballot-counting process, giving the state its first Black U.S. senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction. Mr. Colom's narrow victory is a seismic shift in Mississippi, which has been controlled mostly by white conservatives for generations, and it yielded immediate echoes around the country. The outcome adds to a decisive midterm rebuke of President Donald Trump, whose party suffered defeats in several Republican-controlled states, and it will bolster some Democrats' argument that their future runs through the American South.

Why are the U.S. midterm elections significant? Why are the U.S. midterm elections significant? What do the results tell us about American voters’ attitudes towards President Donald Trump? What do they mean for Democrats and Republicans?

What lies ahead for Democrats? Why are these results so important for the rest of the world? Why are the U.S. midterm elections significant?