Senate Democrats Target Mississippi in Late Push While Secretary of State Races Draw Scrutiny
Senate Democrats are expanding their map into deeply conservative territory in the closing weeks of the election cycle, punctuated by a new ad campaign in Mississippi. The Senate Majority PAC announced a $1.2 million ad buy in the state running through November 3, targeting Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and boosting prosecutor Scott Colom as a bipartisan corruption fighter.
Lauren French, a spokesperson for the super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, noted that the group is monitoring the race closely after observing momentum that has put the incumbent on the defensive. Democrats face a challenging path to capturing the Senate, requiring a net gain of four seats to secure a majority. To achieve this, the party is looking beyond traditional battlegrounds to states won comfortably by Donald Trump in 2024.
Mississippi represents the reddest state targeted by the super PAC this cycle, where Trump secured a 23-point victory two years ago. No Democrat has won a Senate seat in Mississippi since 1982. Alongside Mississippi, the Senate Majority PAC has dedicated resources to Kansas, where Trump won by 16 points, as well as double-digit Trump states including Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas. Meanwhile, the Senate Leadership Fund, the Republican counterpart, has maintained advertising in those states while omitting Mississippi, focusing additionally on shoring up support in South Carolina for GOP Senator Darline Graham and defending Nebraska against independent challenger Dan Osborn.
Beyond federal legislative contests, voters in critical swing states are preparing to decide races for secretary of state, a position that carries immense authority over election administration and oversight for the next presidential contest. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada all feature secretary of state ballots in what has become a high-profile arena following years of disputes over election integrity.
While secretary of state campaigns commanded unprecedented national attention in 2022—when Democrats poured over $71 million into ads and Republicans spent nearly $15 million—spending has decreased significantly this cycle across the 26 races on the ballot. Democratic campaigns and allied groups have directed $16.6 million toward ads, compared to more than $5 million spent by Republicans.
Despite lower overall financial investments, the focus remains concentrated on narrowly divided swing states positioned at the center of the upcoming 2028 presidential map. In Arizona and Nevada, Democratic incumbents face far-right Republican challengers who have promoted election conspiracy theories. In Georgia and Michigan, open-seat contests feature Republican candidates attempting to position themselves as moderates committed to strengthening public trust, while Democratic opponents characterize them as close allies of Trump poised to undermine election confidence.
Trey Grayson, a former Republican secretary of state in Kentucky, noted the delicate political positioning required for GOP candidates competing for top election administration posts. He observed that candidates must navigate the expectations of Trump’s base, which harbors deep concerns over alleged fraud, while attempting to retain appeal among independent voters necessary for a general election victory in battleground jurisdictions.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, early in-person voting launched in the Texas Senate race, where Republican Ken Paxton appeared alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Democrat James Talarico campaigned with members of the cast of “Friday Night Lights.” In Ohio, the gubernatorial race took a contentious turn with the release of a social media video featuring the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton. Meanwhile, vice-presidential diplomacy saw Vice President JD Vance withhold an endorsement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, diverging from public support offered by Trump as Netanyahu pursues re-election.
