GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith fends off primary challenger in Mississippi
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith fended off a Republican challenger in the primary and will advance to the general election in Mississippi, NBC News projects.
With 3% of the expected vote, Hyde-Smith was at 83%, compared to 17% for doctor Sarah Adlakha.
Hyde-Smith’s Democratic opponent for November has not yet been determined, with three candidates vying for that party’s primary, including District Attorney Scott Colom.
President Donald Trump endorsed Hyde-Smith ahead of Tuesday’s primary, but she still faced a challenge from Adlakha, who largely self-funded her campaign.
Adlakha launched ads at Hyde-Smith that claimed she was beholden to special interests, while Hyde-Smith accused Adlakha of being a Chicago liberal and touted her support of Trump.
The primary forced Hyde-Smith to spend some of her campaign funds, spending $2.4 million on the race as of Feb. 18, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Hyde-Smith is seeking her second full term in the Senate. She was appointed to the seat in 2018 to replace former Republican Sen. Thad Cochran and won a special election against former Democratic Rep. Mike Espy, who had also served as Secretary of Agriculture, for the remainder of Cochran’s term.
Hyde-Smith won her first full term in the Senate in 2020, defeating Espy again, this time by 10 points, as Trump carried the state by 16 points.
No Democrat has won a Senate race in Mississippi since 1982, and Trump won the state by 23 points in 2024. Ty Pinkins, who was the Democratic Senate candidate against Republican Sen. Roger Wicker in 2024, is running for Senate again, but as an independent.
But some Democrats, including Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Kirsten Gillibrand, have suggested Colom could be a serious candidate.
This wouldn’t be the first time Hyde-Smith and Colom have clashed: The Republican senator blocked Colom’s nomination to a federal judgeship during the Biden administration.
