His failed bid for governor in the 1991 race against former Gov. Edwin Edwards was one of Louisiana’s most high-profile elections, with Duke opponents proudly showing bumper stickers supporting Edwards that read “Vote for the crook”.
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St Petersburg Times/ZUMAPRESS/NewscomFormer Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke announced today he was running for U.S. Senate to try to get back in office in his home state of Louisiana, where racial issues are now touchy, to say the least.
Duke’s last tenure in elected office was more than two decades ago, in the state legislature.
Duke’s announcement comes after the shooting death of a black man by white police officers and the killing of three law enforcement officers by a black man.
At a news conference in Baton Rouge after officially filing as a candidate to succeed outgoing Republican Senator David Vitter, Duke, 66, said he watched Trump’s speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday in Cleveland and heard echoes of his own past political platforms.
In his video, Duke said he believes in equal rights and respect for all Americans but “what makes me different is I also demand respect for the rights and heritage of European-Americans”.
Campbell also issued a statement on Duke’s decision to run.
SF.Debate.#38.09.25.BVNorthridge David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard during the debate with Joe Hicks at Cal State University. He served one term in the Louisiana state house.
Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, tells Newsweek it won’t help Trump that Duke has re-emerged in the public eye, and says he expects Trump to be questioned about Duke’s support.
He said, “I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves.” the next day, Duke ended his own announcement by saying, “The time is now”.
“Louisiana voters will be able to choose from several Republican Senate candidates who will have a great impact on the Bayou State and the future of our country”. The Republican Party of Louisiana called Duke a “felon and hate-filled fraud” who does not embody Republican values.
“Just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke, OK?”
“The Republican Party of Louisiana will play an active role inopposingg David Duke’s candidacy”.
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, a Democrat who’s in the race, said Duke’s rhetoric has “the potential to rip our state and country apart. A revolution is coming in the United States of America”.
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“They’re responsible for everything going on in this war”, said Maness, who finished third in the 2014 U.S. Senate race behind current Republican Sen. Vitter did not seek re-election to the Senate after a prostitution scandal helped derail his bid to become Louisiana governor.
