Cindy Hyde-Smith

Three years ago, Scott Colom, a state prosecutor in Mississippi, was on a bipartisan glide path to a lifetime appointment to a federal judgeship when his nomination was blocked by a single Republican senator. Now Mr. Colom, a Democrat, is seeking to unseat that senator, Cindy Hyde-Smith, in a long-shot challenge to the incumbent in a deeply conservative state.

The race is far from the center stage in the developing battle for control of the Senate, considering that Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982, as the era of Southern segregationist Democrats came to a close. But the history between the two candidates adds a unique twist to a contest that would not even be taking place had Ms. Hyde-Smith not upended Mr. Colom’s nomination by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to a district court seat.

“It is fair to say that I would not have resigned from the federal bench to run for Senate,” Mr. Colom, who is Black and who has been elected three times as the prosecutor for a four-county district in northeast Mississippi, said in an interview.

The MAGA hotbed of Mississippi is an acknowledged reach for Democrats. But they have begun to pay attention to it given Mr. Colom’s appeal and credentials, and as the national political environment improves for their party. Democrats are hoping the momentum they have shown in elections around the country this year can translate into competitive races outside the top tier and deliver an unexpected win or two.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and minority leader who plays a central role in mapping his party’s Senate campaign strategy, has long been intrigued by the prospect of competing in Mississippi. He met with Mr. Colom multiple times in recent years in an effort to recruit him.

“This is a good year to expand the map, and Mississippi is a long shot,” Mr. Schumer said. “Still, if its ever going to be doable, this is the year.”

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