A distant cousin of rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, Democrat Brandon Presley is running for governor of Mississippi on Tuesday.
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For six years, the forty-year-old was mayor of Nettleton, a village in this southern state, just a few kilometers from the birthplace of the “King”.
“My cousin grew up right next door in Tupelo,” Brandon Presley says in one of his campaign clips, holding a faded photo of Elvis. And adds with a smile: “You’ve probably heard of him.”
The politician is the cousin by marriage of the “Suspicious Minds,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog” singer. He was born just days before the American superstar’s unexpected death from a heart attack on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42.
Brandon Presley’s chances of being elected in this poorest state in the United States with a population of three million are fundamentally limited.
In the United States, a federal country, the governor is the head of a state’s executive branch and has numerous powers. And Mississippians haven’t elected a Democrat to that office in more than 20 years.
But the gap between the Democrat and Republican re-election candidate Tate Reeves has narrowed significantly in recent weeks.
The governor, who has been in office since 2020, is very unpopular and is accused of being involved in several corruption cases.
A second round of voting will be organized if none of the candidates receives at least 50% of the vote on Tuesday.