Senate Democrats’ leading campaign spending group is increasing its investment in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race, marking a notable shift in strategy for a state that has been a Republican stronghold for decades. The Senate Majority PAC, aligned with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, announced it will spend $1.2 million on a new television advertisement supporting Scott Colom, a district attorney challenging Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. The ad is scheduled to begin airing Wednesday and continue through the November 3 election.

The move represents the PAC’s first significant spending in this race during the 2024 cycle and underscores growing Democratic confidence amid a closely contested battle. The race has drawn about $8 million in total spending so far, with Colom out-raising and outspending Hyde-Smith approximately $4.6 million to $3.2 million, according to advertising tracking firm AdImpact. The television advertisement highlights Colom’s prosecutorial record while criticizing Hyde-Smith for her decade in the Senate without passing significant legislation and for voting to restrict Medicaid access.

Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the Senate in 2018 and subsequently elected, is seeking a full term in a state where Republicans have maintained dominance for decades. In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points over Democrat Kamala Harris. No Democrat has won a Senate race in Mississippi since 1982. Despite these trends, some Democrats see vulnerabilities in Hyde-Smith, noting she underperformed Trump by six points in the 2020 presidential race, which Biden won nationally.

Hyde-Smith’s campaign dismissed the late-stage spending as unlikely to affect the outcome. Jake Monssen, her campaign manager, stated that voters would reject what he described as a “radical agenda” on Election Day. Efforts by Hyde-Smith’s campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee to comment on the new spending were not immediately returned.

Democratic leaders have expressed optimism about the race’s competitiveness. Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock recently campaigned with Colom, and Kamala Harris plans to hold a rally in Mississippi in support of him. Should Colom succeed, he would become Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction, the post-Civil War period when significant civil rights amendments were enacted.

This investment signals a broader Democratic effort to contest traditionally conservative states, as top Senate Democrats seek to defend their current 53-47 majority amid challenging political conditions. The Senate Majority PAC has also deployed resources in other conservative states such as Kansas, where Democrat Adam Hamilton is vying to unseat a Republican incumbent. Some Democratic voices, including Warnock, have urged national groups to commit more sustained resources to Southern states where they see potential for gains.