Mississippi Senate Race: Maryland Senator's Early Bet
Angela Alsobrooks campaigned for Scott Colom in June, arguing his narrow lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith was achievable despite the state's deep red history.
By Kevin Iyer ·
Scott Colom held a narrow lead over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the deep-red state of Mississippi, a result that could prove to be the election's biggest upset. The Democratic candidate's position stands in contrast to the state's historical voting patterns, where the party lost the gubernatorial election by 27,000 votes in 2023. African Americans make up 40% of the state's population, a demographic factor that Alsobrooks cited as a key indicator that the numbers favored Colom.
The Maryland senator began her support for the Mississippi campaign in June of this year. She received the initial tip from Gerard Henderson, her former campaign operations director. Henderson returned to Mississippi to serve as Colom's campaign manager. He reached out to Alsobrooks, stating, "I have a really amazing candidate. He's not getting any attention." Alsobrooks decided to commit fully to the effort after the call.
Alsobrooks traveled to Mississippi to campaign on the ground. She held an event at a church with Colom and hosted a gathering for the Divine Nine, a group of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities. During her time in the state, she observed that the primary obstacle was not the candidate's viability but a local perception issue. "I sensed right away that the problem with Mississippi was that they had a belief problem," she said. She believed her presence as a U.S. senator would help voters believe in the possibility of a win.
Upon returning to Maryland, Alsobrooks focused on building a coalition of support from other Democratic leaders. She urged her colleagues to back Colom's campaign. Her outreach included Gov. Wes Moore, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and fellow Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware. This effort aligns with a wider strategy by Maryland politicians to influence key races across the country.
This work follows a pattern of activity for Alsobrooks in the 2026 cycle. In June, she supported Juliana Stratton in her successful U.S. Senate run in Illinois. In August, she hosted fundraisers in Martha's Vineyard, including one for the Democratic National Committee. In October, she stood beside incoming Michigan Sen. Abdul El-Sayed and other Black politicians in that state.
Glynda C. Carr, president and CEO of Higher Heights for America PAC, described Alsobrooks' actions as demonstrating political courage. "We have to keep opening doors and creating opportunities for the next generation of Black leaders," Carr said. Alsobrooks, who became Maryland's first Black senator two years ago, stated she wants to see a return to political decency. She said Democrats will work to repair healthcare cuts and other issues, noting that it will take some time to fix the damage done by Republicans.
Alsobrooks described herself as an extreme optimist but admitted she was surprised by the success of Democrats in this midterm cycle. She maintains that her party has a clear plan to address medical and healthcare cuts. She emphasized that her support for candidates like Colom and Stratton was driven by a belief in their ability to win, regardless of what seemed popular at the time.
