Sen. Hyde-Smith says she is optimistic despite trailing in Mississippi — The Hill

Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said she was optimistic about her chances of reelection in the U.S. state of Mississippi, although her Democratic Party opponent Scott Colom was leading her in the race for the U.S. Senate. According to The Hill, as of Tuesday, with more than 95% of votes counted, Colom's lead was just over 2,500 votes.

Speaking with CBS News journalist Caitlin Huey-Burns, Hyde-Smith said several thousand votes still remained to be counted, so her team felt very optimistic. Asked whether she could have done more to keep the race from being so competitive, the senator replied that her team had worked hard and run a good campaign.

Counting mail-in ballots

The winner of the race in the state, which traditionally leans Republican, had not yet been determined at that time. In Mississippi, mail-in ballots may be received and counted for five business days after the election if they bear a postmark dated the day of voting.

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Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst previously told reporters that the state party would accept any result if the laws were followed and the will of voters was taken into account.

Dispute over procedures

Hyde-Smith's lawyers sent a letter to election commissions in all 82 counties of the state demanding that they separate affidavit ballots, document decisions concerning them, and preserve all related materials. Colom's lawyer said in response that these demands had no basis in Mississippi law and cautioned the commissions against departing from normal election procedures.

Colom also criticized election analysts who, for most of the campaign, assessed his chances as low. According to him, such assessments made fundraising more difficult for him and other Democratic candidates from Southern states.