JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Public Service Commissioner and former Mayor of Nettleton Brandon Presley announced his campaign for governor of Mississippi on Thursday, January 12.

Presley, a Democrat, was born and raised in Nettleton. After college, he returned to his hometown where he became one of the youngest mayors in state history.

He was then elected as Public Service Commissioner of Mississippi, a position he currently holds in his fourth term.

Presley will face at least one candidate in the Democratic primary. Gregory Wash ran a low-budget race for governor in 2019 and has filed to run again.

He will face Republican Governor Tate Reeves, who announced his campaign for re-election. He is the only Republican in the race so far. Bill Waller Jr., a former Mississippi Supreme Court chief justice who lost to Reeves in the 2019 Republican primary for governor, has said he is considering another run.

“We can build a Mississippi where we fight corruption, not embrace it. Where we cut taxes, lower the cost of healthcare and create good jobs. A Mississippi where we finally focus on the future, not the past,” said Presley.

Feb. 1 is the deadline for candidates in Mississippi to qualify for statewide, regional, legislative and county offices. Party primaries are Aug. 8, with runoffs Aug. 29. The general election is Nov. 7, and runoffs are Nov. 28.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.