Who is Scott Colom, Mississippi’s first Black senator in 150 years?

United States prosecutor and Democrat Scott Colom has made history in Mississippi by becoming the deeply conservative state’s first Black senator in more than 150 years and ushering in the first Democratic victory there in more than four decades. But Colom’s win is significant beyond party politics and marks a turning point for Mississippi’s African American community too: he’ll be the first Black American senator since 1874. It was a narrow victory.

Colom beat Hyde-Smith, the incumbent and an ally of President Donald Trump, by fewer than 5,000 votes after 99 percent of ballots had been counted late on Wednesday. Colom’s win puts Democratic Senate control at 55-44. Another tight race in Alaska is still being counted, although Democrat Mary Peltola is also leading there by a slim margin.

On Wednesday, after the results were called, Colom told supporters at his victory party in Jackson that he had come close to giving up.