WaPo: “Voters in this deep red state haven’t elected a Democrat to the governor’s office in more than 20 years, but party leaders and voters are hopeful about their prospects this year, thanks to a tarnished incumbent and their celebrity-related challenger.
Brandon Presley, a former small-town mayor and state utilities regulator, has run a surprisingly strong campaign against Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who is seeking a second term. Presley also happens to be a cousin of Elvis Presley.
But that’s not what has Democrats excited as they prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday. Presley, 46, has focused his campaign onchampioning populist issues and battling corruption. Reeves, 49, has found himself on the defensive, tangled up in the state’s largest public corruption investigation over misuse of millions of dollars in welfare funds while he was lieutenant governor.
Reeves is still favored to win — Republicans hold all of the top statewide offices and control both chambers of the legislature — but strategists and grass-roots activists on both sides say activity on the ground suggests a close race. A Magnolia Tribune/Mason-Dixon poll in early October had Reeves leading by 8 points. Some more recent private polls have suggested the race has tightened, and during the past month the Cook Political Report shifted it from “likely” to “lean” Republican. If neither candidate tops 50%, the contest would go to a runoff three weeks later.”