A cousin of Elvis Presley is the Democratic candidate for governor in Mississippi, after winning his primary unopposed on Tuesday.

The general election will be held on 7 November. The Democrat, Brandon Presley, said he would advocate for people who struggle to make ends meet.

He will face the current Republican governor, Tate Reeves, who defeated two first-time candidates, John Witcher, a physician, and David Hardigree, a military veteran.

“The national Democrats think Mississippi is theirs for the taking,” Reeves told supporters in Jackson. “They’ve circled our state, and they’ve hand-picked their candidate … these national Democrats think they can use him to inject their liberal ideology into Mississippi under the guise of being a moderate.”

Presley said: “This race is going to come down to … which candidate, and I believe that’s me, has got guts and the backbone to stand up for the people of Mississippi and which candidate has consistently showed us that he will do whatever his lobbyist buddies want him to do and will not stand up for the people of Mississippi.”

Mississippi is one of three states holding races for governor this year. Despite Republicans holding all statewide offices for 20 years, the Democratic Governors Association chair, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, has predicted a Democrat could win.

In his hometown, Nettleton, Presley took the stage at his victory party to See See Rider, a song Elvis Presley often used as walk-on music. The candidate said he would not sing, though.

“We’re trying to get votes,” Presley said. “We’re not trying to lose them.”

Reeves, 49, became state treasurer in 2003. He had two terms as treasurer and two terms as lieutenant governor before becoming governor in 2019.

“Brandon Presley and his party are happy to see people go on welfare,” Reeves said. “He campaigns on wanting more welfare. He thinks welfare is a destination. I think … a job is a destination for everyone in Mississippi – a job with benefits and healthcare and a chance to move up in the world.”

Reeves often touts two laws: one in 2021 that prohibits transgender people from playing on girls’ or women’s sports teams and one this year that bans gender-affirming healthcare to people younger than 18.

Reeves signed an income tax reduction into law last year and wants to eliminate state income tax. He says he has fulfilled a 2019 promise to increase teacher pay.

“Mississippi has momentum, and this is Mississippi’s time,” Reeves said. “To believe Brandon Presley’s campaign, you’ve got to believe that none of that is true.”

Presley, 46, a member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission, has highlighted the challenges of working families in one of the poorest states. Born a few weeks before his famous relative died, he often talks about growing up in a home where his widowed mother had trouble paying bills with a modest paycheck.

“Tate Reeves doesn’t care anything about us. He doesn’t care anything about working people,” Presley said. “If you can’t write a campaign check, or you’re not part of his little club of buddies and insiders, you’re shut out of state government.”

Presley says he wants to eliminate a 7% state tax on groceries. He also says Mississippi should join 40 states that have expanded Medicaid coverage to people working low-wage jobs that do not provide private insurance.

Dr Martha Morrow, an optometrist, said she supported Presley because she sees him as an honest person who wants to improve the quality of life. Morrow said it was crucial to expand Medicaid.

“We’re going to have to stop the rural hospitals from closing,” Morrow said. “Tate Reeves can say all he wants to that it’s not a problem. It’s a problem. If you’re sick and you can’t get to a hospital because your hospital’s closed – people are dying already. And it’s going to continue.”

Reeves and Presley will also face an independent, Gwendolyn Gray, a 68-year-old newcomer who leads a nonprofit, the Southern Foundation for Homeless Children, and says one of her main concerns as governor would be alleviating poverty.