The latest sign of Republican midterm problems: A top super PAC is buying ads in Mississippi

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Republicans working to keep the Senate are increasingly anxious about holding onto a seat in Mississippi — a GOP stronghold in the deep South — and are investing money in the final weeks to shore up incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Senate Leadership Fund, the leading GOP super PAC focused on Senate races, made an initial reservation of about $160,000 in Mississippi on Thursday, according to AdImpact data, with more cash expected.

That move comes as Senate Democrats’ announced they’ll spend roughly $1 million on ads for the race — but it’s something that GOP officials had been considering even before the Democratic buy, according to one person familiar with the discussions.

Party officials have told CNN they do not believe they will lose in Mississippi, a state President Donald Trump won by 23 points just two years ago. But Republicans — who have a major cash advantage over Democrats — are closely watching the rise of Scott Colom, a 43-year-old district attorney who’s been backed by top Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. Harris campaigned with Colom Thursday.

Such a move by a Senate GOP group would have been unthinkable not long ago. It reflects the worsening national political landscape facing Republicans ahead of the midterms, as well as Colom’s ability to capitalize on Hyde-Smith’s uneven campaign performance with viral moments that have started to galvanize the party behind his long-shot bid. Hyde-Smith’s anemic fundraising and historic midterm headwinds have added to the pressure.

And it’s an extraordinary step for a party that’s already defending incumbents in deep-red Kansas and South Carolina, while spending hundreds of millions battling in Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Alaska.

Republicans have also noted that Hyde-Smith has historically underperformed Trump after she was appointed in 2018. (Hyde-Smith won her first full term in 2020 by 10 points while Trump won the state by more than 16.)

From the start of 2026 through the end of September, the Senate race in Mississippi saw less than $5 million in ad spending. But from the start of October through Election Day, it will see nearly $8 million, Democrats currently outspending Republicans by about $5 million to $2.7 million.

Senate Republicans’ campaign chief, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, had repeatedly said that the party would not bail out incumbents if they did not adequately prepare for a tough cycle, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions. He said as recently as last month that he did not plan to put money in Mississippi or Kansas, where Sen. Roger Marshall is trying to hold off Democrat Adam Hamilton, according to one of those people.

But party operatives also acknowledge they’re facing their worst political climate in two decades and may need to consider all options to halt the Democratic surge across the map. And polling is uncertain in a rural state like Mississippi.

Hyde-Smith’s campaign official told CNN last week she had not asked her party for more resources.

“We are confident that Senator Hyde-Smith will win on November 3rd. Mississippians know her record: billions brought home for infrastructure and rural health care; conservative judges confirmed and liberal ones blocked; tax relief for working families and small businesses; a secure border; and votes that keep men out of girls’ sports and locker rooms,” Jake Monssen, Hyde-Smith’s campaign manager, said in a statement.

Colom has repeatedly made the case, including to top leaders of his own party, that Mississippi is on the cusp of becoming a competitive state, noting that its voter makeup – with Black Americans making up 38% of the population – is closer to the battleground state of Georgia than any other state in the Deep South.

“Mississippi is next, there’s no doubt about that,” Colom said.

All four of the Senate’s Black Democrats – including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey – have campaigned for Colom in recent weeks – and have made a direct pitch to party insiders for more resources there, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations.

“He has run a strong campaign focused on reaching out directly to voters and speaking to their concerns about the rising costs of gas and groceries. That’s why he’s in the position he’s in, and that’s why Republicans are nervous. They’re finally realizing what I’ve said from the beginning: Mississippi is the next Georgia,” Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester told CNN in a statement.

The decision to pour money into Mississippi comes at a fraught time for the national Republican Party, which is increasingly on the defense in Trump territory.

Scott has cautioned his fellow senators on more than one occasion: “Run afraid or run unopposed,” according to a person familiar with the remarks.

Top Democrats, meanwhile, had not planned to put money into the state, faced with a cash shortage that party officials have previously told CNN is preventing them from going into deeper red territory. But that changed this week with a $1.2 million reservation.

Mississippi has been a seat of interest for several cycles now for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his campaign team, who consider it Democrats’ best chance for a pickup in the deep South, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions. Democrats have long believed that the state could be competitive if they can find the right candidate and turn out Black voters – who traditionally vote Democratic – arguing that could allow them to overcome the historical lack of resources and infrastructure in the state for their party.

Schumer has personally promoted Colom’s campaign, holding a fundraiser for him in DC earlier this year and telling donors at one recent event that “Mississippi needs attention too,” according to a person familiar with the conversations.

Democratic donors have expressed growing interest in the Mississippi contest to boost Colom. America Bridge PAC, a Democratic-aligned group, recently announced plans to spend $2.1 million in the state.

Many of those events have focused on get-out-the-vote efforts, especially in Black communities, which have been a major focus of Colom’s campaign from the start.

In 15 years, Colom told CNN he is one of only four Democrats who’s raised enough money to run statewide TV ads in the state.

Starting last month, Colom and his team have driven a food truck around college campuses, housing projects, musical festivals and other local gathering spots to meet voters, blast music and hand out free tacos. In recent days, Colom’s been serving “pick your protein” tacos – a jab at Hyde-Smith’s recent comment that there are “so many proteins to choose from” given soaring beef prices.

“Our current senator does not campaign. She hasn’t done a town hall in six years,” Colom told CNN. “You can’t pay for gas with lies. You can’t buy groceries with lies.”

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共和党人为保住参议院席位而努力，他们越来越担心在密西西比州（共和党在南部腹地的堡垒）保住一个席位，并在最后几周投入资金，以巩固现任参议员辛迪·海德-史密斯的地位。

据 AdImpact 数据显示，专注于参议院竞选的共和党超级政治行动委员会“参议院领导基金”周四在密西西比州预留了约 16 万美元的初始资金，预计还将有更多资金投入。

就在参议院民主党人宣布将花费约 100 万美元用于竞选广告之际，共和党官员也开始考虑采取类似行动。一位知情人士透露，早在民主党人购买广告之前，共和党官员就已经在考虑这样做了。

共和党官员告诉CNN，他们不认为会在密西西比州失利。两年前，特朗普总统在该州以23个百分点的优势获胜。但共和党人——他们在资金方面对民主党人拥有巨大优势——正密切关注着43岁的地区检察官斯科特·科洛姆的崛起。科洛姆得到了包括前总统奥巴马、前副总统卡马拉·哈里斯和佐治亚州参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克在内的多位民主党高层的支持。哈里斯周四与科洛姆一起参加了竞选活动。

不久前，参议院共和党团体采取这样的行动还是不可想象的。这反映出共和党在中期选举前夕面临的日益恶化的全国政治形势，以及科洛姆利用海德-史密斯竞选表现不佳，通过一些病毒式传播的片段，开始动员党内支持他这场胜算渺茫的竞选。海德-史密斯疲软的筹款能力和中期选举前所未有的不利因素，都加剧了科洛姆的压力。

对于一个已经在深红州堪萨斯州和南卡罗来纳州捍卫现任议员席位，同时又在德克萨斯州、俄亥俄州、爱荷华州和阿拉斯加州花费数亿美元进行竞选的政党来说，这是一个非同寻常的举措。

共和党人还指出，海德-史密斯自 2018 年上任以来，其执政表现历来逊于特朗普。（海德-史密斯在 2020 年的第一个完整任期内以 10 个百分点的优势获胜，而特朗普在该州的得票率则超过 16 个百分点。）

从2026年初到9月底，密西西比州的参议院竞选广告支出不足500万美元。但从10月初到选举日，广告支出将接近800万美元，目前民主党的支出比共和党高出约500万美元，而共和党的支出约为270万美元。

据多位知情人士透露，参议院共和党竞选主席、南卡罗来纳州参议员蒂姆·斯科特曾多次表示，如果现任议员没有为艰难的选举周期做好充分准备，共和党不会出手相助。其中一位知情人士称，斯科特上个月还表示，他不打算在密西西比州或堪萨斯州投入资金，这两个州的现任参议员罗杰·马歇尔正试图击败民主党候选人亚当·汉密尔顿。

但党内人士也承认，他们正面临二十年来最糟糕的政治环境，可能需要考虑所有选项来阻止民主党在全州范围内的崛起。而且，像密西西比州这样的农村州，民调结果难以预测。

海德-史密斯的竞选官员上周告诉 CNN，她没有向党内申请更多资源。

“我们相信海德-史密斯参议员将在11月3日赢得大选。密西西比州人民了解她的政绩：为基础设施和农村医疗保健争取了数十亿美元；确认了保守派法官的任命，阻止了自由派法官的任命；为工薪家庭和小企业减税；确保了边境安全；并且投票阻止男性干预女子体育运动和更衣室，”海德-史密斯的竞选经理杰克·蒙森在一份声明中说。

科洛姆曾多次向包括他自己党内高层领导人在内的各方人士表示，密西西比州即将成为一个竞争激烈的州，并指出该州的选民构成——黑人占总人口的 38%——比美国南部其他任何州都更接近摇摆州佐治亚州。

“毫无疑问，下一个就是密西西比州，”科洛姆说道。

据多位知情人士透露，参议院所有四位黑人民主党人——包括新泽西州参议员科里·布克——最近几周都为科洛姆助选，并直接向党内人士争取更多资源。

“他开展了一场强有力的竞选活动，重点是直接接触选民，并回应他们对汽油和食品价格上涨的担忧。这就是他能取得今天地位的原因，也是共和党人感到紧张的原因。他们终于意识到我从一开始就说过的话：密西西比州会成为下一个佐治亚州，”特拉华州参议员丽莎·布伦特·罗切斯特在一份声明中告诉CNN。

共和党全国委员会决定向密西西比州投入大量资金，而此时正值共和党在特朗普的地盘上日益处于守势之际，形势十分严峻。

据一位知情人士透露，斯科特曾多次告诫他的参议员同僚：“要么战战兢兢地参选，要么无人挑战地当选。”

与此同时，民主党高层原本没有计划向该州投入资金，因为他们面临资金短缺，党内官员此前曾告诉CNN，资金短缺阻碍了他们深入共和党占优势的州。但本周情况发生了变化，他们预定了120万美元的资金。

据多位知情人士透露，密西西比州一直是参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默及其竞选团队关注的焦点，他们认为这是民主党在南部腹地赢得该州的最佳机会。民主党一直坚信，如果能找到合适的候选人并动员传统上支持民主党的非裔选民，该州就有可能成为民主党的有力竞争者。他们认为，这将有助于民主党克服该州历史上资源和基础设施匮乏的困境。

据一位知情人士透露，舒默亲自为科洛姆的竞选活动奔走，今年早些时候在华盛顿特区为他举办了一场筹款活动，并在最近的一次活动中告诉捐助者“密西西比州也需要关注”。

民主党捐款人对密西西比州的竞选表现出越来越浓厚的兴趣，希望借此提振科洛姆的选情。与民主党结盟的“美国桥梁政治行动委员会”（America Bridge PAC）最近宣布计划在该州投入210万美元。

这些活动大多侧重于动员选民投票，尤其是在黑人社区，而黑人社区从一开始就是科洛姆竞选活动的重点。

科洛姆告诉 CNN，在过去的 15 年里，他是仅有的四位筹集到足够资金在全州范围内投放电视广告的民主党人之一。

从上个月开始，科洛姆和他的团队开着一辆餐车穿梭于大学校园、居民区、音乐节和其他当地聚集地，与选民见面，播放音乐，并免费发放墨西哥卷饼。最近几天，科洛姆开始供应“自选蛋白质”墨西哥卷饼——这是对海德-史密斯近期言论的讽刺，海德-史密斯此前曾表示，鉴于牛肉价格飙升，“可供选择的蛋白质种类太多了”。

科洛姆告诉CNN：“我们现任参议员不搞竞选活动。她六年都没办过市民大会了。谎言买不起汽油，也买不起食品杂货。”