All in the family: Distant relative of Elvis Presley seeks Miss. governor office

A recent survey by Tulchin Research indicates that the third cousin of Elvis Presley, Democrat Brandon Presley, could defeat GOP Gov. Tate Reeves. Presley leads Reeves by four points according to public opinion polling — thought 10 percent of voters said they were undecided. 

Presley, who currently serves on the Mississippi Public Service Commission Board, became the youngest mayor in Mississippi history in 2001 after handily winning election a mayoral race in Nettleton, Mississippi at the age of 23.

A self-described “populist” and “FDR-Billy McCoy Democrat,” a potential Presley victory would allow the Magnolia State to join gubernatorial pivots in the South: Louisiana, Kentucky and Kansas all recently elected Democratic governors. Presley has, however, taken anti-abortion stances and broke rank in 2004 to endorse then-President George W. Bush’s reelection efforts. 

Reeves, the GOP governor, has become increasingly less popular as Mississippi’s infrastructure continues to crumble and a welfare embezzlement scandal involving, among others, former NFL star Brett Favre has rocked state-level politics. It’s been called “the largest public fraud case in the history of the state” by the state’s attorney general. 

Furthermore, according to the Associated Press, “over half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals risk closing.”

Despite his opponents declining popularity and name recognition from his famous cousin, Pressley will face an uphill battle: Compared to his meager amount of funds, Reeves’ campaign reserves are numbered in the millions. That, and the inherently static nature of Mississippi politics, will be difficult to overcome.