Legal challenges expected in tight Mississippi Senate race

( NewsNation ) — This week's blue wave that captured Senate seats in traditionally red states like Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina and Texas may yet claim Mississippi , where Democrat Scott Colom was ahead of incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by a narrow margin.

But don't expect a final answer any time soon. The winning candidate may not be identified for up to another three weeks, said Scott Tranter, director of data science for NewsNation partner Decision Desk HQ.

Although Colom was ahead by nearly 2,000 votes with 95% of ballots counted, election officials must still process thousands of mail-in and provisional ballots within prescribed deadlines. The state must certify results by Nov. 13.

"We're not sure how they're going to cure those absentee ballots and process all those," Tranter told "The Hill" on Wednesday.

Observers expect legal challenges from both sides because of the narrow margin, which could further delay the declaration of a winner.

The dead heat between Colom and Hyde-Smith was not anticipated in Mississippi, a conservative-leaning state that President Trump, a Republican, carried by more than 20 points in 2024. Voters have not elected a Democrat to the Senate there since 1982.

But a handful of red states rejected Republican candidates Tuesday in a movement that is seen as a rebuke of Trump administration policies, including tariffs, immigration enforcement and the war in Iran.