A distant cousin of Elvis Presley, Democrat Brandon Presley, is a candidate this Tuesday for governor of Mississippi.
Brandon Presley was mayor of Nettleton for six years, a town in this southern state located a few kilometers from where the rock'n'roll legend was born.
"My cousin grew up right down the street in Tupelo," Brandon Presley says in a campaign video in which he holds a faded photo of Elvis. And he adds with a smile: "You've probably heard of him."
The politician is the cousin-in-law of the singer of "Suspicious Minds", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog". He was born days before the death of the American singer, who died of a heart attack on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42.
Brandon Presley's chances of being elected governor of this state of 3 million inhabitants, the poorest in the United States, are, in principle, limited.
In the United States, a federal country, the governor is the head of the executive government of a state, endowed with numerous powers. And Mississippians have not elected a Democrat to this office in more than 20 years.
But the gap between the Democratic candidate and the Republican candidate running for re-election, Tate Reeves, has narrowed significantly in recent weeks.
The governor, in office since 2020, is highly unpopular and suspected of corruption.
If none of the candidates obtains at least 50% of the votes on Tuesday, a second round will be held.
