Trump rallies in Mississippi amid competitive Senate race: ‘I can’t take a chance’ 

President Donald Trump rallied in Mississippi Monday for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s reelection campaign in what has become an unexpectedly competitive race against Democrat Scott Colom in the deep-red state.

Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than 40 years, and Trump won the state by more than 20 percentage points in 2024. Until recently, it was inconceivable that Democrats could compete for a Senate seat in Mississippi. But Trump’s visit, with only eight days until Election Day, indicates Republicans are not taking the state for granted.

Little polling has been conducted in The Magnolia State, but an October poll by Change Research, a Democratic polling firm, showed the race within the margin of error, with Hyde-Smith leading by just three percentage points.

The race has seen a last-minute influx of cash. The Senate Leadership Fund, the top Senate Republican super PAC, recently spent more than $1 million on an ad campaign to hold the line in the race. Semafor also reported that the Democratic Senate Majority PAC recently spent $1.2 million in the state.

“Cindy’s doing great, but I’ve just got to make sure. I can’t take a chance,” Trump told Mississippians at the rally, expressing concern that Republican voters might stay home in the once-safely-red state.

Trump lambasted Colom as a puppet who would do “the radical left’s bidding” and a “Marxist.” He also criticized Colom for receiving financial support from left-wing billionaire George Soros.

Colom “became the district attorney with nearly $1 million directly from George Soros. Without Soros he couldn’t have done it,” the president said, adding that, as district attorney, Colom “set loose thousands and thousands of dangerous criminals to prey on people of Mississippi.” He accused Colom of “slashing charges for serious sex offenders and savage murderers.”

Trump touted his administration’s efforts on the economy and cultural issues.

“We’ve achieved the largest drug price reduction in history,” he said. “We abolished all discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion policies through the federal government. We got critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools. We made English the official language of the United States government.”

He also credited school choice and Republican leadership for helping Mississippi go “from having the worst-ranked schools in the nation to among the best-ranked schools in the nation.”

Hyde-Smith, speaking before Trump’s remarks, cast the election as a choice between socialism and capitalism, adding that the stakes “could not be higher.”

She defended her Senate record, including her vote for the Laken Riley Act to “protect Americans from criminal illegal immigrants” and the Halt Fentanyl Act. Her campaign platform includes protecting unborn life, promoting school choice and fighting illegal immigration.

Colom showed up at the site of the Trump rally to speak with voters. In a post on X, he wrote that he was reminded “that more unites us than divides us.” He said he heard from voters who “want to get foreign money out of our elections, put an end to flock cameras, keep our border secure and make sure our veterans are taken care of.”

Colom’s campaign platform includes fighting corruption and “making AI work for Mississippi.” He has called for a pause on data center construction “until tech companies sign commitments that they will pay their fair share,” including covering their energy costs and ensuring data center jobs aren’t temporary.

Heartlander News reached out to both campaigns for comment on Trump’s remarks.