Seven committees have reported independent spending in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race. Five of them are spending against incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Federal Election Commission’s records show 47 independent expenditures nming Hyde-Smith for the 2026 cycle, totaling $4,017,579.82. Of that, $3,424,406.87 are for opposition efforts and $593,172.95 for support.
The largest spender is AB PAC, the committee of American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic opposition research group. It has reported 21 expenditures against Hyde-Smith totaling $2,022,930.90. Most of it is for television, mail and digital advertising bought through two firms, Berni Consulting, which has taken $1,131,961.90, and K Squared Media, which has taken $725,649.
New Southern Majority IE PAC, an affiliate of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s action fund, has reported 13 expenditures against Hyde-Smith totaling $710,725.79. That includes the single largest line in the race, $550,000 in digital advertising placed through Chism Strategies on Oct. 2, 2026. Chism Strategies is based in Madison. Six of the committee’s expenditures, $51,543.51, were spent before the March 10 primary.
New Deal For All, Inc. entered the race on Oct. 14 with a single expenditure, $481,500 for advertising through Canal Partners Media of Atlanta. The committee reported it the next day and has reported nothing else in the race.
United Futures PAC has reported $150,210.50 against Hyde-Smith, including $132,000 for mobile billboards and $6,798 for an airplane banner. Government That Works PAC has reported $59,039.68, all of it on television advertising and production in October. Christopher Koob signed the independent expenditure reports for both committees.
The money spent for Hyde-Smith comes from two committees, and only one of them has spent in the general election. American Mission reported $333,333.33—an interesting number with no known explanation—for media placement on Sept. 16 and $161,194.28 on Sept. 14 for text messages, digital media and production, both paid to Summit Ridge Media Group of Reno, Nevada. Conservative Leaders of America spent its $98,645.34 on Feb. 25, 2026, two weeks before the primary, on digital advertising and phones through Bullseye Public Affairs in Jackson.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has reported none of this. The party committee’s page at the commission puts its independent expenditures for the cycle at $0.00, and a search of its filings for the 24-hour report that a committee must file when it spends independently near an election returns nothing, in Mississippi or in any other state. Party committees can also spend coordinated money, which is capped by state and reported separately.
American Mission and Government That Works PAC are on opposite sides of this race and were registered nine days apart. Government That Works registered as a hybrid committee on Aug. 11, 2025, and has raised $23,363,204.91. American Mission registered as a super PAC on Aug. 20, 2025, and has raised $23,943,009.62. Neither names a connected organization in its filings.
Hyde-Smith’s own campaign committee reported $3,825,454.97 in receipts and $1,759,323.10 in disbursements through June 30, with $2,535,895.72 in cash on hand. Outside groups have spent more against her than her campaign has spent on itself.
On Oct. 20, the Senate Majority PAC announced that it was putting an initial $1.2 million into television ads statewide through Election Day to boost Hyde-Smith’s Democratic opponent Scott Colom.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
Image: Photo illustration of money and U.S. Capitol (via Dreamstime.com)
Time for a breath of fresh air in MS.