What Went Down In The Mississippi Senate Runoff Election

And the Democratic overperformance might bode well for the party in next week’s runoff for Georgia secretary of state. (Laugh if you want at the obscurity of my election obsession, but it’s an important office with the power to administer elections — remember all the liberal complaints about Brian Kemp this fall?)

Worth noting that turnout in Mississippi seems on pace to not drop that much from the initial election on Nov. 6. Based on the turnout change in the counties that are 100 percent in, turnout as a share of the voting-eligible population might drop from 43 percent three weeks ago to about 40 percent today. That may reflect some staying power for the high-turnout midterm environment we just experienced, the ostensible competitiveness of the race and the heavy focus on the race in the media.

The AP has called the runoff for Hyde-Smith, more or less officially putting a cap on the evening. Hyde-Smith currently leads 56 percent to 44 percent, although the remaining uncounted vote figures to be Democratic-leaning. This should still be a single-digit race — and a solid Democratic overperformance — when all is said and done.