Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked Scott Colom from becoming a judge for being pro-trans. Now, he might take her Senate seat

This story originally appeared on Them.

See, when you do clownery, the clown comes back to bite.

Though the Mississippi U.S. Senate race has not yet been called, Democrat Scott Colom is currently leading by just over 1,000 votes in the traditionally red state, which hasn’t had a Democrat as a senator since 1989. And, in an especially ironic twist, this matchup likely only took place because incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith once sidelined Colom for supporting trans rights.

As first observed by Ashton Pittman, the news editor of the Mississippi Free Press, a nonprofit journalistic outlet that launched in 2020, Colom’s congressional campaign comes just three years after Hyde-Smith blocked Colom from becoming a federal judge because of his stance on trans rights.

In 2023, Hyde-Smith blocked Colom, then a district attorney nominated to be a federal judge by President Joe Biden, from serving in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi because of his support for trans rights, per the Free Press. (Hyde-Smith also cited “significant support” for Colom from liberal philanthropist George Soros as weighing “heavily against his nomination.” The Mississippi Independent said Hyde-Smith’s claim was untrue, reporting that although Soros had promoted Colom as a candidate, neither he nor his campaign received direct funding.)

Per the Free Press, Hyde-Smith took advantage of a Senate tradition in which a senator can block a judicial nominee from their home state by refusing to return a document known as a “blue slip” to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Roger Wicker, the senior senator from Mississippi, had approved Colom, but Hyde-Smith refused.

“I visited with the District Attorney recently, and I recognize that he is smart and well liked in his district,” the Republican senator said in a statement at the time, per the Free Press. “However, there are a number of concerns I have regarding his record. As someone with a strong interest in protecting the rights of girls and women, I am concerned about Scott Colom’s opposition to legislation to protect female athletes.”

In March 2021, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed a law banning trans athletes from playing on student teams that match their gender identity, despite the Associated Press being unable to find a single such athlete in the entire state. Supporters of the measure, Senate Bill 2536, could not name any trans athletes, either.

That June, Colom signed a letter in opposition to the bill alongside dozens of other legal and law enforcement professionals in the state. “We condemn the ongoing efforts to criminalize transgender people and gender-affirming healthcare across the country,” the letter reads. “These blatantly unconstitutional attacks on some of the most vulnerable Americans will deeply harm public safety.”

At the time of Hyde-Smith’s refusal to approve Colom, Biden stuck by Colom in a statement through White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, saying the White House was “very proud to choose someone who is deeply qualified, dedicated to our Constitution, and who received the backing of Republicans and Democrats in Mississippi,” per the Free Press.

“So, it is unfortunate, sadly, that regardless of being duly consulted well in advance and despite Senator Wicker returning a blue slip, Sen. Hyde-Smith is preventing the people of Mississippi from having a judge in place in a timely fashion to uphold the rule of law for her state,” Jean-Pierre added. “So, you know, furthermore, Sen. Hyde-Smith never raised these issues before today, over the course of months, including when she met with Mr. Colom several weeks ago and never suggested any alternative candidates.”

Hyde-Smith has not taken her foot off the transphobic gas pedal during her Senate campaign. The Republican lawmaker has repeatedly referred to Colom as the “Transgender Defender,” per Mississippi Today. As election results in this “blue wave” midterm are tallied, it has become clear that this kind of casual transphobia has largely been a failed tactic.

In an October 2026 interview with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Colom responded to a question about Hyde-Smith’s nickname, saying, “ I have two daughters. I believe in fairness in girls’ sports, and I don’t believe in gender-affirming surgery for children.” He continued, “I’ll tell you this: as I campaigned all across the state of Mississippi, not one person has brought that up. In fact, actually one person did ask me about it, and I found out it was a tracker for her campaign. So that’s not on the minds of Mississippians.”

Colom currently leads Hyde-Smith by over 1,000 votes. Per the New York Times, a final result may not be called until all the state’s provisional ballots are counted, which could be until November 10. While Colom would be the first Democratic senator to represent the state in a generation, he would also be the first Black senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction, per the Times.

Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s newsletters.