Independent Candidate Credits Himself for Shifting Senate Race Outcome

Ty Pinkins, the independent candidate who finished third in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race, says his presence on the ballot helped shape the election result. Pinkins received approximately 20,000 votes, a total that proved decisive in a contest that remained too close to call for more than a week after Election Day.

The seat was eventually won by Democrat Scott Colom, who will serve as Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. He defeated Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Pinkins acknowledged before the vote that he did not expect to win the office. He stayed in the race to influence how other voters cast their ballots.

Pinkins told WTVA that he believed his campaign split the Republican vote rather than the Black vote. He cited a poll suggesting that 70% of the people who chose him were previously disgruntled Republican supporters. He explained that he intentionally avoided campaigning in majority-Black areas to focus his efforts elsewhere.

“The portion of the vote that I drew, and people were concerned about splitting the Black vote, what I actually did was split the Republican vote,” Pinkins said. “Most of my votes came from Harrison County, DeSoto County, Rankin County, Jackson County, Hancock County, Madison County, Jones County, Pearl River County, Lamar County.”

He noted that each of those counties has a Black population ranging from 10% to 16%. Pinkins pointed out that he did not campaign in the Mississippi Delta, while his opponent traveled throughout the state. The candidate’s comments have drawn national attention since the official results were announced just over a week after voters went to the polls.