Scott Colom Wins Historic Mississippi Senate Race, IFT and CTU Say

CHICAGO - The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) congratulate Senator-elect Scott Colom on winning Mississippi's U.S. Senate race. Colom will be the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction around 1860s.

"Chicago and Mississippi are family," said Stacy Davis Gates, president of the IFT and the CTU. "Generations of Black families came north from communities like Sunflower County, Clarksdale, Acona, Tupelo and McComb and built this city, its schools and its unions. Mississippians are our grandparents and cousins, and today we celebrate with them.

"This victory carries the legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers and Rep. Bennie Thompson. But it's about more than legacy. It's about Black organizers and voters in Mississippi recognizing their collective power and leveraging it to transform possibilities and opportunities for all of us. I've said this country needs a new Reconstruction. The South and Mississippi, in particular, just set it off.

Colom's win, alongside the election of Senator-elect Juliana Stratton of Illinois, will bring the number of Black U.S. senators serving at one time to a historic high of seven. In the nation's history, only nine Black men and five Black women have held a U.S. Senate seat.

Before Election Day, Colom told The Washington Post that national Democrats are "conditioned not to care about Mississippi."

"Scott Colom said what too many in Washington won't," Davis Gates said. "Democrats make their election investments based on past performance, not future promises. Mississippi voters just proved what's possible when working people, Black and white, rural and urban, are taken seriously. Any party that claims to care about working people should be paying attention."

The Illinois Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals representing more than 103,000 educators, higher education faculty and staff, and public employees in every corner of Illinois. The Chicago Teachers Union represents more than 30,000 educators and school professionals in Chicago Public Schools. Both are affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers.

More like this:

Bryen Johnson Named State Director for U.S. Senator-elect Juliana Stratton

3 days ago

City Colleges Faculty and Staff Vote 96% to Authorize Strike

Sep 24, 2026

Juliana Stratton Wins Illinois Senate Race Against Don Tracy

Nov 3, 2026

Budzinski Endorsed By Illinois Federation Of Teachers And Associated Firefighters Of Illinois

Sep 17, 2026

Opinion: Business and Labor Groups Back Amy Elik For State Representative

Oct 16, 2026