JACKSON mdash; Historic U.S. Senate race remains too close to call as officials continue counting ballots in courthouses statewide.Democrat Scott Colom held a razor-thin lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, with only a handful of votes separating them out of nearly 1 million cast.nbsp;I n a press conference Wednesday, Colom expressed confidence that he would remain on top when all the votes were counted."I am very happy with where we stand. I am confident once the process plays out that where we are, where the ballots are, we're going to win," Colom said.Hyde-Smith was first appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2018 after longtime Sen. Thad Cochran resigned due to ill health. She then won a special election later that year.Hyde-Smith remained confident Tuesday night at her election watch party. She told supporters she would prevail."I assure you, I will continue to be your U.S. Senator," Hyde-Smith said.Cheikh Taylor, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said attorneys and members of the party would monitor the remaining counts very closely. If Colom wins, his team is already preparing for possible litigation, including the possibility that the Republican Party contests the results."The national cues have been simply this: fight at all costs, deny every win, contest every ballot and we have to be prepared for that response," said Taylor.If elected, Colom would be Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator elected since 1875 and the first Democratic senator elected since 1982.Mississippi officials have not released a confirmed timeline for when they will declare a winner. The New York Times reports a final result might not be known until next Tuesday, the deadline for the state to count provisional ballots.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less