Let's Go Brandon? Brandon Presley jokes anti-Biden phrase is sign of support for his campaign

The Democratic candidate for governor of Mississippi appears to be embracing a rallying cry used by opponents of President Joe Biden, though perhaps in a joking way.

Brandon Presley, who is trying to unseat Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, has co-opted the phrase Let's Go Brandon in a recent social media post, playfully pointing to a billboard displaying the Let's Go Brandon phrase in Lauderdale County as a sign of support for him.

Critics of Biden began using the phrase in 2021, as a coded substitute for an attack on the president that included profanity.

"Proud to see the great support in Lauderdale County!" Presley posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, over the weekend.

It is unclear who paid for the billboard. While it is styled similarly to the campaign logo of former President Donald Trump, it is marked simply as "paid for by supporters." A spokesperson for the Presley campaign confirmed that it did not pay for the billboard, and they were also unaware of who funded it.

It is not the first time Presley has embraced the fact that his name is included in the attack of his fellow Democrat. In December, before Presley had officially announced his candidacy, Corinth Alderman Chip Wood, a Republican, posted a photo on what was then Twitter with a homemade bumper sticker on his car. The sticker read "REPUBLICANS FOR PRESLEY LET'S GO BRANDON."

"Any idea where I can get one of these for some friends?" Presley responded, to which Wood said he could get Presley as many as he needed.

Biden has also attempted to turn the phrase around, as his social media and those of his supporters have begun referencing "Dark Brandon" in memes about the president's accomplishments.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Does Presley's campaign say Let's Go Brandon in Mississippi gov. race?