Scott Colom may have gotten a boost from arguably the most popular Democrat in the country—former President Barack Obama.
In a video posted to social media, the 44th president urges voters to send the north Mississippi district attorney to Washington—the highest-profile national endorsement so far for a campaign that has spent months arguing that the Magnolia State is in play for Democrats.
“Mississippi, it’s time for a change, and that’s why you need to send Scott Colom to the U.S. Senate,” Obama says in the ad.
Colom is running to unseat incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, whom the campaign has tried to paint as absent for refusing to hold town halls or stand for debates. Polls show the race as tighter than expected in a state Trump won by more than 20 points two years ago.
The former president goes on to call Colom a family man and person of faith with deep roots in the state. “Scott is a devoted husband and dad, a seventh-generation Mississippian, guided by his Christian faith,” Obama says.
He also plays up Colom’s record as a prosecutor and on kitchen-table themes that have anchored the campaign, as economic issues and an affordability crisis are likely to determine the outcome of the midterm election and control of Congress.
“Scott made his community safer, prosecuting violent crimes as district attorney, and fighting corruption in Columbus,” Obama says. “Now he’s running for Senate to raise wages, lower costs, and save your health care and hospitals.”
The ad closes with a direct appeal: “Mississippi, your vote matters. Let’s get this done, Mississippi. It’s time for a change.”
Obama previously endorsed former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy in his bid against Hyde-Smith. In 2019, he also recorded a robocall for Democratic nominee for governor, Jim Hood, although the former state attorney general did not publicize Obama’s endorsement.
Colom thanked Obama in a post on Instagram and tied the endorsement to what he said he hears from voters on the trail.
“I’m grateful to President Obama for his support,” Colom wrote. “I hear it in every county I visit: costs keep going up, families are worried about their healthcare and their hospitals, and folks feel like Washington stopped listening a long time ago.”
“We’re going to change that on November 3rd when we show the country Mississippi Matters,” he added, invoking his campaign’s slogan.
Hyde-Smith secured the endorsement of Republican President Donald Trump in spring 2025, calling her “100 percent MAGA.”
“Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!,” Trump said at the time.
Image: Former President Barack Obama (via Scott Colom Instagram)