Mississippi Democrat Brandon Presley is using his first negative TV ad to tie Republican Gov. Tate Reeves to the $77 million welfare funds scandal involving retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre―a story that the public service commissioner is hoping will give him an opening in November's race to lead this dark red state.
"Under Tate Reeves, millions were steered from education and job programs to help his rich friends," intones the narrator. "A horse ranch, a volleyball stadium, even $1 million to his own personal trainer. And when the investigator got too close, Tate Reeves fired him." Presley, who faces no opposition in next week's primary, did not say how much he was spending to air this new message, though AdImpact tells NBC his campaign has booked at least $250,000 starting this week.
Reeves has denied he had anything to do with the misuse of millions from the federally funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families that occurred under his immediate predecessor, fellow Republican Phil Bryant. As Mississippi Today first reported, text messages show that Bryant advised the former Green Bay Packers star how to obtain more than $1 million to finance his proposed volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre's daughter participated in that sport. (The elder Favre was the school's quarterback just before his NFL career began in the early 1990s.) But other messages show that Favre spoke to Reeves about getting state money for the project in early 2020 during the new governor's first weeks in office.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services, which answers to Reeves, initially hired a former Clinton-era U.S. attorney named Brad Pigott to investigate the scandal, but the agency fired him last year shortly after he subpoenaed Southern Mississippi. "All I did, and I believe all that caused me to be terminated from representing the department or having anything to do with the litigation, was to try to get the truth about all of that," he told Mississippi Today hours after his ouster, unhappily adding, "I am sure they can find a loyal Republican lawyer to do the work." Reeves, for his part, has claimed he had Pigott terminated because he had "a political agenda."
But Favre isn't the only well-connected athlete who has been implicated. State auditors discovered in 2020 that an organization called Victory Sports Foundation run by Paul Lacoste, a fitness trainer whose clients included Reeves and several state legislators, received $1.3 million in TANF payments through a nonprofit run by private school founder Nancy New. New and her son have both pled guilty to defrauding the federal government, while Lacoste has denied he had any knowledge of her crimes.
While Lacoste is not the subject of criminal charges, the Department of Human Services is currently suing him for allegedly committing fraud in obtaining TANF funds. Lacoste has countersued, claiming in April that he's been wrongly "ridiculed throughout the State as someone who knowingly took money from indigent people in Mississippi."
Presley's offensive comes at a time when Reeves maintains a huge financial edge, though the Democrat has gotten some help. The Democratic Governors Association donated $750,000 to Presley’s campaign last month, a contribution that was revealed on Tuesday when financial reports for the month of July were made public. Including the big DGA infusion, Presley brought in $1.1 million last month, compared with $309,000 for Reeves. However, Reeves still has a considerable $9.3 million war chest, according to Mississippi Today, while Presley has just $1.5 million to spend.
Reeves himself has not mentioned Presley in any of his ads, and he's avoided any mention of the welfare scandal. But it still unintentionally wound up in one of his very first spot: In May, Presley was quick to highlight footage in Reeves' ad that featured a now-shuttered private school founded by none other than New.
This piece has been updated to include additional details about the candidates’ July fundraising reports.
"Under Tate Reeves, millions were steered from education and job programs to help his rich friends," intones the narrator. "A horse ranch, a volleyball stadium, even $1 million to his own personal trainer. And when the investigator got too close, Tate Reeves fired him." Presley, who faces no opposition in next week's primary, did not say how much he was spending to air this new message, though AdImpact tells NBC his campaign has booked at least $250,000 starting this week.
Reeves has denied he had anything to do with the misuse of millions from the federally funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families that occurred under his immediate predecessor, fellow Republican Phil Bryant. As Mississippi Today first reported, text messages show that Bryant advised the former Green Bay Packers star how to obtain more than $1 million to finance his proposed volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre's daughter participated in that sport. (The elder Favre was the school's quarterback just before his NFL career began in the early 1990s.) But other messages show that Favre spoke to Reeves about getting state money for the project in early 2020 during the new governor's first weeks in office.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services, which answers to Reeves, initially hired a former Clinton-era U.S. attorney named Brad Pigott to investigate the scandal, but the agency fired him last year shortly after he subpoenaed Southern Mississippi. "All I did, and I believe all that caused me to be terminated from representing the department or having anything to do with the litigation, was to try to get the truth about all of that," he told Mississippi Today hours after his ouster, unhappily adding, "I am sure they can find a loyal Republican lawyer to do the work." Reeves, for his part, has claimed he had Pigott terminated because he had "a political agenda."
But Favre isn't the only well-connected athlete who has been implicated. State auditors discovered in 2020 that an organization called Victory Sports Foundation run by Paul Lacoste, a fitness trainer whose clients included Reeves and several state legislators, received $1.3 million in TANF payments through a nonprofit run by private school founder Nancy New. New and her son have both pled guilty to defrauding the federal government, while Lacoste has denied he had any knowledge of her crimes.
While Lacoste is not the subject of criminal charges, the Department of Human Services is currently suing him for allegedly committing fraud in obtaining TANF funds. Lacoste has countersued, claiming in April that he's been wrongly "ridiculed throughout the State as someone who knowingly took money from indigent people in Mississippi."
Presley's offensive comes at a time when Reeves maintains a huge financial edge, though the Democrat has gotten some help. The Democratic Governors Association donated $750,000 to Presley’s campaign last month, a contribution that was revealed on Tuesday when financial reports for the month of July were made public. Including the big DGA infusion, Presley brought in $1.1 million last month, compared with $309,000 for Reeves. However, Reeves still has a considerable $9.3 million war chest, according to Mississippi Today, while Presley has just $1.5 million to spend.
Reeves himself has not mentioned Presley in any of his ads, and he's avoided any mention of the welfare scandal. But it still unintentionally wound up in one of his very first spot: In May, Presley was quick to highlight footage in Reeves' ad that featured a now-shuttered private school founded by none other than New.
This piece has been updated to include additional details about the candidates’ July fundraising reports.