Colom will be Mississippi’s first Black senator in 140+ years

[0:00] A historic win and major upset. The Democrat Scott Cologne has won the Mississippi Senate race, [0:06] defeating the Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Now, you look at the number here, [0:11] we finally put that check here a week and a day after the votes. This is a major upset for [0:16] Republicans. Cologne is the first Democratic senator to be elected in Mississippi in 44 years. [0:21] And you look at that checkmark, in fact, the first black person elected statewide since [0:25] Reconstruction. You're going all the way back to the 1870s. The margins in this race have been [0:32] razor thin since Election Day. And in fact, today we were having a conversation with Scott Cologne's [0:37] identical twin brother, Andrew, tonight. We were on the phone with him when CNN called Mississippi [0:43] for Scott Cologne. And Scott was there as well. Let me play that moment. [0:49] Hey, we just called it for your brother. [0:52] Okay, hold on. Scott, CNN just called it for you. CNN just called it for you. I'm on the phone with [0:59] the guy right now. He said they just called it. [1:03] All right, well, we're going to speak with him in just a moment. The tally tonight, though, [1:07] right now, Cologne ahead, as you can see, by 4,669 votes. That's razor thin. But there was a time [1:13] when I think it was 43 or 48 votes. It just took that long for those final counties to count. The [1:18] balance of power in the new Senate, because of this, is going to look at, like this, at least 55 [1:23] Democrats to 44 Republicans. And that means there's just one Senate seat outstanding. That is, of course, [1:28] is Alaska, where the Democratic candidate is leading as well. All in right now, Democrats [1:34] have flipped eight Senate seats in this election, something that was inconceivable even months [1:39] ago. Absolutely inconceivable. In fact, I would say even a week and a day ago, something like [1:44] that was inconceivable. But when I spoke with Scott Cologne recently, he was 100% confident [1:49] that he would prevail. There was absolutely no question about that in his mind. And he was [1:53] very clear as to why he thought he would win the race against all odds. [1:59] Because Mississippians have been betrayed. They were promised America first, and they're [2:03] getting Mississippi last. They were promised lower grocery prices on day one. But grocery [2:08] prices are now more expensive than ever, and people are suffering from it. They were promised [2:12] no more endless wars. We're back at war with no end of sight. And it's got gas to the roof, [2:17] truckers struggling with high diesel, farmers struggling with high diesel. And they were promised [2:21] concepts of a health care plan. [2:22] Moments ago, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith spoke to Cologne and conceded. I want to go out [2:29] front now to Andrew Cologne, the twin brother of Scott Cologne. Andrew, I was actually looking [2:33] you in our preview monitor just before we start talking. And I'm like, OK, they don't say [2:37] identical for nothing. I mean, my gosh, right? Sometimes I look like somebody you talked to [2:43] before. I look like. Yes, exactly. You look like someone I've talked to before. All right. [2:47] I know you've been with Scott throughout today. And obviously, this is an incredible moment [2:52] for you. So we heard you talking to Tim, our producer. I mean, how's he feeling now that [2:57] he's made history? I know he was confident, but now it's a done deal. [3:04] It's been a lot of excitement, a lot of cheers, a lot of really, really deep hugs, [3:08] a lot of just really ecstatic feelings of love and happiness that Mississippi decided that [3:15] Scott Cologne was the person to make change in a time that it was really, really desperately [3:21] needed. A lot of people are excited around the country. A lot of people are excited in [3:25] Mississippi. A lot of people are excited around the world because Scott showed that Mississippi [3:30] matters, which shows that anybody can matter and anybody can make change in that country [3:35] still. So anybody looking at you again, I'm going to remind you, you are the identical twin [3:40] brother of Scott Cologne, Andrew. So let me just show everyone photos of you and your brother [3:45] when you were little guys, then young children and later as adults. And I say this not just [3:53] because you look alike, but because you literally have been together since birth. That is your [4:00] relationship. I mean, did you ever think that you would see your brother be elected as a senator [4:06] of Mississippi? I mean, first Democrat to win statewide in 44 years. We go all the way back [4:11] to reconstruction for something like this. Yeah. You know, we didn't grow up talking about him [4:19] being a senator. I'll be honest with you. We grew up with him playing a lot of basketball. [4:22] He really was a huge athlete, was really into basketball. We competed a lot. But I think he [4:27] learned from basketball, his passion about competition. I think my brother has a lot of [4:33] passion for competition. And I think that was part of the drive that kept him working so hard [4:39] throughout the last year and a half. And I'm just honored that his hard work has paid off. You [4:44] know, I think right now he's in his flow state. You know, Mississippi is not just a state. It's [4:49] also a river. The river has sediment. The sediment is the hard work. And that sediment has created a [4:55] flow. And Scott's in his flow state. Mississippi's in his flow state. And they're together have created [5:01] a love story that's really exciting the world. This is a moment in history. And they find out he's [5:07] yelling to the next room to his brother. Yeah. Yeah. And that they're making doing something in [5:12] Mississippi that has not been done since Reconstruction era, which, of course, is not [5:16] comparable in any way. So I'm thinking about it. I think we all should be thinking about [5:20] Medgar Evers, Ida B. Wells, Emmett Till, and Fannie Lou Hamer, how she shut down the DNC in 1964. [5:31] 1964, she runs for Congress in the Second District. You know who worked on her campaign? A young, [5:37] Benny Thompson. Shout out to Representative Benny Thompson. Yeah, he was here last night. By the [5:42] way, how confident was he that Scott Cologne was going to win? Completely. 29 years later, [5:47] Benny Thompson runs and wins the congressional seat in District 2 in Mississippi. He then [5:55] forms a leadership pack or leadership group that Scott Cologne was a part of with Benny Thompson. So [6:03] there's a through line from Fannie Lou Hamer to Benny Thompson to Scott Cologne in this moment in [6:09] history. It's just incredible for all of us. Gives us a chance to reflect on our history and gives us [6:15] excitement to building a better country going forward. And interesting, as close as this is, [6:21] Cindy Heidsmith, and there's no recount law. You know, we'd heard all sorts of rumblings about what [6:25] could go wrong in Mississippi if they want to recount when there's a... Cindy Heidsmith has conceded. [6:31] Yeah, which is, of course, the right thing to do. Yes. And, you know, first of all, what Jamal said, [6:36] exactly right. And I would add Mike Espy to that list and others who have been... I mean, [6:40] but Chairman Benny Thompson. I mean, anybody who served with Benny Thompson knows... [6:44] Chaired the January 6th Commission. That is a voice crying in the wilderness right there. [6:47] Yeah. And he was right. And thank God. But also, you know, credit where credit is due. Boy, [6:52] that campaign, that candidate, the candidate's brother, who should be a political consultant, [6:57] by the way, you got to realize that, you know, you're talking about one third of the voters were [7:02] African-American in Mississippi. And they went 97% for Scott Cologne. That means, as a candidate, [7:08] you start out at 32. And so the project in Mississippi, when you see it that way, [7:12] if you can keep that community engaged and give them reasons to be engaged and do the work, [7:16] which they did, then, my goodness, you're just, you're looking for 20%. You're looking for 18% [7:22] out of all the other voters. That is a very doable and replicable project, [7:27] not just in Mississippi, but everywhere else. So, so Democrats pay attention. [7:32] Congressman, let me just ask you, that ad that Cologne was in about protein, [7:36] that we know that Andrew right there was central. And I just want to play [7:39] the core of it that sort of went nationally viral. Here it is. [7:44] The price of beef continuing to go up. You know, you have so many proteins to choose from. [7:51] Pick another protein? Shit, I'd rather pick another senator instead. [7:58] Okay, everybody's seen that ad. When that was meant for Mississippi, we've all seen it. How much did [8:05] that ad hurt Cindy Hyde-Smith? I mean, it was that ad and it was the other ads, but that ad is [8:10] authentically Mississippi and it authentically captures the sentiment of the country. Things [8:17] are too darn expensive. Scott Cologne didn't just speak to black voters. He spoke to rural white [8:24] voters about the cost of living. And even though he knew he wasn't going to win them all, he won [8:30] enough to win this election. That's how you organize. That's how you win. [8:33] You know, he also, along with James Tallarico, Adam Hamilton, Democrats who won in Texas and [8:39] Kansas respectively, talked about faith, which is something that Democrats for a long time have [8:44] not wanted to do, especially in the South, right? That would be the evangelical province of the GOP, [8:48] but not anymore. And in fact, Scott Cologne talked about his faith openly, repeatedly. Here he is. [8:54] Yes. We have to make sure that we talk our values to people because, you know, there's nothing, [9:03] there's nothing Democrat or Republican about Christian faith. That's a American value. That's [9:09] a Christian value. And I know so many people that view their Christian faith through serving others. [9:17] And I think I'm offering that more than our dream senator. That was a big shift and a powerfully [9:25] important shift in several races in red states. Kansas. Don't forget Kansas, another one. I mean, [9:30] I think I'm looking at the map, right? I'm old enough to remember the 2012 election and how depressed [9:35] I was when I looked at the electoral map. Republicans have become a regional party of the deep South [9:40] and a few states in the upper Midwest. Trump changed all that, right? But now no one has won those [9:46] states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, except Trump. Now we're losing places like Kansas and [9:51] Mississippi. It's a depressing time that really requires some examination of what's gone wrong. [9:55] And how we fix it without Trump. Interesting that faith is being embraced now by Democrats. [10:01] Absolutely. And it's what it's what Congressman Bowman said. I mean, he's speaking in universal [10:07] terms about what people are feeling, what they need and what they hope for their country. And I do think [10:12] and I hope this isn't a partisan point because I think we can all take some pride in it. [10:17] You definitely see a yearning in the country for for values and for decency and for people of character. [10:24] And it's about time, I think a lot of us feel. And and and those are core values of Christianity [10:31] and and of a former party that some of us grew up with, the Republican Party, that people should [10:35] hold dear and that are worth fighting for. And I think you just saw a mismatch on some of that. [10:40] And the voters picked our guys because they saw they saw more of it there.