National Democrats have set their sights on flipping Mississippi governor’s office from Republican to Democrat. The person they are putting up to go against the incumbent is a second cousin of Elvis Presley – Brandon Presley. First-term Governor Tate Reeves is running for re-election. Democrats hope that voters will go with the legendary last name in November after they hear Presley’s personal story.

Brandon Presley was born a few days before Elvis died. He talks about his difficult childhood on the campaign trail. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in America and its working families suffer their own economic plight. Presley grew up in the Mississippi Delta, raised by a single mother when his father was murdered when Brandon was eight years old. Presley speaks about the welfare scandal that developed during Reeves’ term in the lt. governor’s office.

In Mississippi, where elected officials have a long history of praising self-sufficiency and condemning federal antipoverty programs, a welfare scandal has exposed how millions of dollars were diverted to the rich and powerful — including pro athletes — instead of helping some of the neediest people in the nation.

Governor Reeves has pledged to return political contributions from anyone connected to the welfare fraud scandal but has not yet fulfilled that pledge. It seems to be a stretch to link Reeves to the scandal.

Brandon Presley is an elected member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission. He is unopposed for the Democratic nomination for governor. Previously, Presley served as the mayor of Nettleton, Mississippi, his hometown, from 2001 to 2007.

“I understand what working families in this state go through,” Presley told about 75 people at a restaurant in Grenada, a town on the edge of the Mississippi Delta.

The 45-year-old said he was just starting third grade when his father was murdered. Presley’s mother raised him and his brother and sister in the small town of Nettleton, earning modest wages from a garment factory. In his childhood home, “you could see straight through the floors into the dirt,” he said, and his mother struggled to pay for water and electricity.

“And let me say this to you clearly: When my name goes on the ballot in November, the names of families who have had their electricity cut off, who are getting up every day working for all they can to help their kids, to small business owners — your name goes on that ballot in November,” he said.

There are three states holding gubernatorial elections this year. Besides Mississippi, there are also races in Kentucky and Louisiana. These states usually support Republicans but Louisiana currently has a pro-life Democrat in Governor John Bel Edwards and Kentucky has a popular Democrat governor. So, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, describes all three contests as “away games” but thinks Mississippi will be “the sleeper.’ He thinks the right Democrat can win this year. Never mind that Trump won Mississippi twice with solid wins in both 2016 and 2020, and Republicans hold all statewide offices and a supermajority in the Legislature. A Democrat has not won the gubernatorial race yet this century. Nonetheless, the Democrats persist.

Murphy thinks Presley’s style in winning over donors will bring victory in Mississippi. He attended an event with Murphy in New Jersey and the event exceeded their fundraising goal. “We’ve got a great candidate. This guy’s the real deal,” Murphy said. “When you listen to what he would do on Day One as governor, you say, ‘You know what? That’s exactly what Mississippi needs.” If Reeves is smart, he’ll use that quote and make a campaign ad out of it. Mississippi voters aren’t waiting on the opinion of the Governor of New Jersey to tell them who Mississippi needs in the governor’s office. Didn’t coastal elites learn anything from the candidacy of Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke?

Presley incorporates gospel and bluegrass songs into his campaign events, making a connection with Elvis for his audiences. In Grenada, Presley called a $100M financial package approved by state legislators and Reeves for hospitals “a cheap, dollar store clearance-aisle Band-Aid.’ He supports Medicaid expansion that could bring in about $1B a year from the federal government. Mississippi is one of 10 states that have not accepted expansion of Medicaid.

Governor Reeves has two under-funded opponents in the Republican primary. Four years ago, Reeves defeated a four-term Democrat Attorney General by 52% to 47% with two lesser-known candidates in the race. This year there is one independent candidate that will be on the general election ballot. Republicans like their chances with Reeves and his history of five statewide wins – two for state treasurer, two for lieutenant governor, and one for governor.

“Democrats are desperately trying to create a mirage when it comes to Mississippi,” said Republican Governors Association spokesperson Courtney Alexander. “The reality is that Brandon Presley is bought and paid for by national Democrats, while Gov. Reeves’ record of historically low unemployment, historically high graduation rates, and substantial pay raises for Mississippi educators speaks for itself.”

This may be a race worth keeping an eye on.