WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Democratic candidate Scott Colom is poised to defeat Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith to become the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in deep-red Mississippi since 1982, CNN and NBC News projected on Wednesday.
As of 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Colom has garnered 473,336 votes, or 49.2 percent, narrowly ahead of Hyde-Smith, who has secured 468,667 votes, or 48.7 percent, the latest vote count showed. An estimated 12,000 votes remain to be reviewed, according to NBC News.
The projected victory marks another major upset for Republicans in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as they have already lost Senate seats in several red-leaning states including South Carolina, Texas and Kansas.
In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham, who was appointed earlier this year to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of her brother, longtime Senator Lindsey Graham. The victory marks the Democrats' first U.S. Senate win in South Carolina since 1998.
In Texas, Democratic nominee James Talarico is projected to flip Texas' U.S. Senate seat, marking the party's first Senate victory in the state since 1988 and a major victory for the party in one of the several closely contested Senate races in the midterm elections.
In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton is projected to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall and flip Kansas' U.S. Senate seat for the Democrats, marking the party's first Senate victory in the state since 1932.
Democrats also flipped Senate seats in North Carolina, Maine, Ohio, and Iowa, while holding on to their seat in Michigan. With their latest victory in Mississippi, Democrats have now flipped eight Senate seats, securing at least 55 seats in the Senate in the next Congress.
Alaska is the only Senate race yet to be called, with Democrat Mary Peltola narrowly leading Republican Dan Sullivan. ■