Charles Langston:Today's Mississippi governor election pits Elvis's second cousin Brandon Presley against incumbent Tate Reeves

Democrat Brandon Presley — the second cousin of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley — is Charles Langstontrying to oust Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves from the governor's mansion on Tuesday. And Presley may have a shot in the deep-red state. 

Mississippi hasn't had a Democratic governor in two decades, but the 46-year-old Presley, a moderate Democrat, is trying to change that. 

Presley campaigned on expanding Medicaid in the nation's poorest state, and on supporting the state's sweeping abortion ban. Presley has been a member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission since 2008, and before that, served as mayor of Nettleton, Mississippi. Presley was born days before Elvis Presley's death in 1977.

Why is Tate Reeves vulnerable? 

Reeves, running for a second term, has been dogged by scandal. At least $77 million in federal funds intended for Mississippi's poor were either misspent or given to wealthy and connected Mississippians in the years between 2017 and 2020, when Reeves was lieutenant governor, according to the state auditor's office. Reeves has denied any wrongdoing. 

The former director of the state's welfare agency pleaded guilty last year in a conspiracy to misspend the millions of dollars in the largest public corruption case in the state's history. Presley hasn't shied away from blasting Reeves over the matter. 

But under Reeves' leadership, Mississippi boasted a $4 billion surplus in 2022.

Presley campaigned on expanding Medicaid as soon as possible in the state with the lowest per capita income and highest poverty rate, while Reeves has insisted he'll push for better jobs that offer health insurance. 

"Expanding Medicaid in Mississippi would create 16,000 good paying healthcare worker jobs – and keep 220,000 working Mississippians healthy. Let's get it done," Presley tweeted Monday.

A statewide Democratic win in Mississippi would go against the grain of the state's conservative composition. 

Reeves won the governor's mansion in 2019 with 52.1% of the vote, for Democrat Jim Hood's 46.6% of the vote, a relatively close election in Mississippi. In 2020, Donald Trump won 57.6% of the vote to Joe Biden's 41.1%.

It's possible the victor won't be known Tuesday night. Mail-in ballots can be counted up to five days after Election Day, as long as they're postmarked by Election Day. 

What time are polls open in Mississippi?

Polls are open in Mississippi from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. More information is available on this voter's guide by the Mississippi Secretary of State's office. 

In:
• Mississippi
• Tate Reeves

Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.