Brett Favre welfare funds scandal becomes central focus in Mississippi elections

Brett Favre may try to put the ongoing welfare funds scandal behind him, but the controversy remains top of mind for several Mississippians running for statewide office.

In a story from A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports, the Pro Football Hall of Famer's name has come up frequently in several key races for Mississippi's state elections. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley is in a closer-than-expected race with incumbent governor Tate Reeves because of how he's discussed the relationship between the governor and the state's favorite son in the midst of a welfare funds misappropriation investigation.

A cousin of the late iconic singer Elvis Presley, Brandon serves in the state's Public Service Commission. He mentioned Favre in the lone gubernatorial debate against Reeves on Wednesday and brought up the scandal again when speaking on a campaign stop in Vicksburg on Thursday. He pressed on further with Perez, saying:

“One of the things that got me into this race was that I had been working on getting running water for a family in Leflore County,” Presley told Front Office Sports. “They were catching rainwater in a boat so they could flush their toilets. It took us over a year to get that money so they could get some basic water service, but these jokers like Brett Favre can snap their fingers and get $5 million for a volleyball court. It just made me sick to my stomach. I hate the good ol’ boy network.”

Greta Kemp Martin, the Democratic candidate for state attorney general, told Perez that Favre has come up in other down-ballot races, including her own against incumbent attorney general Lynn Fitch.

Perez's story is fascinating beyond the discussion around Favre and the scandal, as it dives into the impact of a recently overturned Jim Crow-era law that historically suppressed Black voter turnout in the Magnolia State. Mississippi is also the poorest state in the country with the nation's highest poverty rate (excluding Puerto Rico, which is a commonwealth), so candidates are leaning on Favre and the scandal to connect with those most impacted by the loss of those funds in order to turn out the vote.