Presley has been described as a moderate,[1][2][3] populist[1][4] politician who holds conservative stances on issues such as gun control, taxes, and abortion.

[4][5][6][7][8] He was the Democratic nominee for governor of Mississippi in the 2023 election, narrowly losing to incumbent Republican Tate Reeves by 3.24%.

In 2017, Presley became chairman of the Public Service Commission, which then forced Mississippi Power to terminate its plans for clean coal electricity generation at the Kemper facility.

[25] Presley, as well as the other two members of the Public Service Commission, opposes using Mississippi as an alternative site to Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste storage.

[26] In 2014, Presley succeeded Betsy Wergin of Minnesota to serve as chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' Committee on Consumer Affairs.

The committee is charged with analyzing the role that state service commissions play in consumer protection within the energy and telecommunications industries.

The project is a joint effort between the PSC, the United States Navy and Mississippi Power at NCBC Gulfport.

[30] Following months of speculation, Presley announced his candidacy for governor of Mississippi in the 2023 election on January 12, 2023.

[35][36] In the general election, Reeves defeated Presley, albeit by a narrower margin than initially expected.