Brandon Presley fundraiser proves he's on the right track, but still has a steep climb

Aug. 25—Brandon Presley's Thursday night fundraiser at the Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo proves the elected utility regulator is on the right track if he's planning on running for statewide office, but political insiders still have suspicious minds about how he could mount a successful run.

Presley, north Mississippi's public service commissioner, is set to raise at least $200,000, based on initial commitments from a politically diverse cross section of donors listed on the event's invitation card. And that amount should increase after all the checks are signed.

Some of the major donors at the event include Jim Barkesdale, Barry Wax, Casey Lott, Ed Meek, Wil Colom, Jack Reed Jr., Travis Childers, Tommy Morgan and Jim Hood.

It's not surprising that Presley, a self-described populist Democrat, has attracted the money of some trial lawyers and former Democratic officials. It is notable that the former Nettleton mayor can attract Republican donors, as well.

For example, it is surprising that Wax, who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves during the 2019 campaign cycle, is continuing to shower Presley with campaign cash.

"I have always approached my entire time in public service by trying to reach across the aisle," Presley told the Daily Journal.

At first blush, the Thursday fundraiser shows that the distant cousin of the King of Rock and Roll can manage to build a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans to thrust him to the Governor's Mansion.

"Brandon is working harder than Jim Hood was at this point during the last statewide election cycle," said someone who has knowledge of Presley's operations.

Indeed, Presley has the charisma that was missing with Hood's 2019 campaign, and he has strong ties to Black leaders throughout the state. But he still has a long way to go before he can occupy a statewide office.

There are three things that create the backbone of a political campaign: A message, money and a machine.

As we've previously shown, Presley certainly has the message down. A natural orator, Presley's ability to galvanize a crowd is unmatched by anyone currently in state politics.

But his money and statewide political infrastructure remain unclear.

Presley's most recent campaign finance report showed he netted $475,000 in donations within the last year.

Combined with previous donations, the three-term utility regulator from north Mississippi is sitting on approximately $519,000 in cash on hand in his public service commissioner campaign account.

By contrast, incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves raised $2.4 million this past year and is currently sitting on $4.8 million in cash on hand.

Lastly, the machine, or statewide infrastructure.

If he wants to compete against an incumbent governor who has appeared on a statewide ballot several times, Presley, who is elected from a regional office, must come up with a way to reach voters in the central and south parts of Mississippi.

The other obvious question mark is Presley's political affiliation. Like it or not, partisan identity still matters a lot in a state like Mississippi, where the GOP dominates nearly all corners of state government.

Although rural voters in north Mississippi continue to re-elect Presley by a huge margin, it's unclear if that pattern can be replicated across the Magnolia State.

The political blog FiveThirtyEight continues to rank Mississippi voters as some of the least persuadable voters in the nation when it comes to crossing over to choose someone of the oppose political party.

"I love Brandon, but he's just in the wrong political party to get elected statewide," a person who works on Republican campaigns told the Daily Journal.

Presley, of course, is still noncommittal on what elected office he's going to run for during next year's election cycle.

"Public officials that get in one job and start salivating over another job are ineffective at the job at hand," Presley said.

The qualifying period for statewide elections opens up in January — just over four months away — with party primaries set to occur in roughly a year.

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taylor.vance@djournal.com