U.S. congressional candidates Scott Colom and Cliff Johnson reestablished campaign promises of higher wages and lower costs at their campaign rally at The Lyric Oxford on Sept. 25. Colom and Johnson will be running in the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Colom is the Democratic candidate for the junior U.S. senate seat for Mississippi, running against Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Colom currently serves as the district attorney for the 16th Judicial District of Mississippi.
Johnson is the Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional District of Mississippi, running against Republican incumbent Trent Kelly. Johnson is a Civil Rights lawyer and professor at the University of Mississippi’s School of Law.
The rally was hosted in collaboration with UM College Democrats, whose goals included increasing both voter registration and student participation in local politics. Mike Cavanaugh, the president of UM College Democrats, said that the event was a way for all students to learn about the candidates.
“One of our goals is to increase student turnout, and both candidates have expressed an interest in furthering that goal,” Cavanaugh said. “Creating an event where students have a familiar place, like The Lyric … is a really great way to entice people to come and hear more about the candidates.”
Both Colom and Johnson are running on campaign promises to increase the minimum wage in Mississippi.
“If the minimum wage is $7.25, that’s where wages at all kinds of stores get pegged, and it doesn’t make any sense,” Johnson said. “To have the same buying power as it did so many years ago, it would have to be well over $12 an hour, and (Colom) and I have both talked about numbers more like $15 an hour for the minimum wage.”
Johnson and Colom also promised to create more restrictions for data center construction in Mississippi.
Construction of a data center on U.S. Highway 61 in Vicksburg, Miss., was announced by Amazon Web Services on April 10. Additionally, the construction for a SpaceXAI (formerly xAI) data center in Southaven, Miss., was approved by Southaven’s Board of Aldermen on Sept. 2. This data center comes after the construction of Colossus 2, an xAI data center used to power the AI Grok, which began operations on March 7, 2025.
Southaven residents filed a class action lawsuit against xAI on June 8, claiming that xAI’s energy plant is a public and private nuisance, according to the Mississippi Free Press. Vicksburg residents protested against Amazon’s data center on July 18, according to the Vicksburg Daily News.
“Guess what people don’t want in their backyard? Data centers,” Johnson said. “It’s a huge issue for us, and it is dividing the country, and the (1st Congressional District) is passionate about this.”
Colom also criticized the military conflict between the United States and Iran. He specifically pointed to the rise in gas prices due to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and soldiers deployed overseas because of the conflict.
“When you all think about what we’re paying at the gas station, also think about the people that are serving our country,” Colom said. “They’re putting their life on the line. They’re missing their daughter’s softball game for a war with no end in sight.”
Colom and Johnson campaign on platforms promoting government oversight, less involvement in international conflicts and an increased minimum wage.
On the other hand, Colom’s opponent Hyde-Smith campaigns for increasing border security and protections for the second amendment. Johnson’s opponent Kelly, while also focused on affordability, campaigns for increased border security and military spending.
UM College Republicans strongly supports both Hyde-Smith and Kelly.
“Both represent the conservative, common-sense values Mississippi expects in Washington: strong national defense, secure borders, fiscal responsibility, constitutional freedoms, support for agriculture and rural communities, and limited, accountable government,” Tres Jones, UM College Republicans president, said in a statement to The Daily Mississippian. “Kelly and Hyde-Smith understand Mississippi, have consistently fought for the state’s priorities and represent a governing philosophy rooted in American strength, individual liberty and common sense.”
A booth for voter registration forms was available at the rally. Attendees were welcome to fill out registration paperwork, which UM College Democrats volunteers later took to the clerk’s office. Paul Winfield, who serves as the vice president of the organization, explained that a major priority for UM College Democrats this semester has been voter registration.
“Registration has been a huge focus for our club … since we started back in the fall,” Winfield said. “We (had) a lot of registration even tonight, and we’re hoping to push through Oct. 5 when the (registration) deadline closes.”
Lafayette County and Oxford residents and university students attended the rally. Many attendees were strong supporters of Colom and Johnson and believe the duo can bring a better future to Mississippi.
“I think (Colom and Johnson) are young enough and smart enough to take us in the new direction that we are hungry for,” Brenda West, an Oxford resident, said.
Nancy Bert is an Oxford resident who supports Colom and Johnson because she believes they are better options than the current politicians in office.
“The direction we’re going now with … the Republicans (is) the wrong direction. I feel like our future is in jeopardy,” Bert said.
Other attendees were interested in learning more about the candidates’ platforms. Kaiden Gaines, a junior creative writing major from northeast Mississippi, came to the rally to participate in what he believes to be his civic duties.
“I don’t necessarily lean with either party, but I think it’s the duty of every American citizen to at least hear both sides of the aisle in order to make an informed opinion,” Gaines said. “If we stand in a vacuum chamber, and we only listen to one side, one perspective, it does a disservice to the nation and our country as a whole.”
Cameron Price, a senior political science major from Ridgeland, Miss., is a Democrat who also wanted to learn more about the candidates’ values.
“I hope to learn about their foreign policy opinions,” Price said.
Kai Howard is a freshman nursing major from Columbus, Miss., who attended the event because of Colom’s connection to Columbus.
“I decided to come (here) because, personally, Colom is my district attorney from Columbus,” Howard said. “I just really wanted to come out and get a chance to meet him, see where he stands as a candidate running for the U.S. Senate from Mississippi.”
These campaign rallies serve to mobilize and invigorate voters as midterms draw closer.
“We will never quit on Mississippi,” Colom said. “We will never quit, because we understand that our communities matter. We understand that our schools matter. We understand that our hospitals matter, and on Nov. 3, we’re going to show the country that Mississippi matters.”
Editor’s note: Paul Winfield served on The Daily Mississippian staff as an opinion writer during the 2025-26 academic year.
