David Duke

David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in the United States, and former Louisiana State Representative. He has run unsuccessfully for the Louisiana State Senate, Governor of Louisiana, and twice for President of the United States. Duke is a strong supporter of the white-nationalist movement in America. He is widely regarded as a white supremacist by a number of organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The state house and campaign for governor

In 1989, he ran as a Republican for a seat in the Louisiana State House of Representatives. He defeated fellow Republican John Treen, the brother of David Treen, the first post-Reconstruction Republican to be elected Governor of Louisiana, by a margin of 51-49 percent. Duke's victory came despite visits to the district in support of John Treen's candidacy by President George H.W. Bush, former President Ronald Reagan, and other GOP notables.

Related Topics:
Republican - David Treen - Louisiana - George H.W. Bush - Ronald Reagan - GOP

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A year later, he challenged incumbent Democratic Senator J. Bennett Johnston in the open primary as a Republican, receiving 44% of the vote (including over 65% of the white vote, according to exit polls). Sen. Johnston was able to win re-election (and thus avoid a direct run-off with Duke) by receiving 53% of the vote. Another Republican party candidate, state senator Ben Baggert, won a mere 3% of the vote.

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Duke ran for Governor as a Republican Party candidate, despite getting an official reproval (letter expressing the GOP's disdain for Duke's activities) from that party. In the open primary, Duke was second to former governor Edwin Edwards in votes; thus he faced Edwards in a run-off. Duke received 32% of the vote in that initial round, pushing incumbent Republican Buddy Roemer down to third place with 27% of the vote, effectively defeating Roemer's bid for re-election. The election garnered national media attention. While Duke had a small hard-core constituency of devoted admirers, many others in Louisiana voted for him as a "protest vote", in order to register dissatisfaction with Louisiana's mainstream politicians.

Related Topics:
Republican Party - Primary - Edwin Edwards - Buddy Roemer

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Some dismissed the reports of Duke's having ties to Nazi and KKK organizations as simple mud-slinging. Between the primary and the run-off election, Duke enjoyed the peak of his notoriety. White supremacist and far-right organizations from around the country contributed to his campaign fund. At the same time, Duke tried to distance himself from his more extreme views in public appearances while never officially repudiating them. Whenever reporters asked about his Nazi and KKK ties, Duke refused to comment and denounced the reporters for trying to dig up dirt from the past.

Related Topics:
Nazi - Far-right

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Meanwhile, a large anti-Duke coalition threw its support to Edwards, about whom many voters were at best lukewarm, save in comparison to Duke. Edwards was largely perceived as corrupt, but the possibility of electing Duke as governor was widely seen as far worse. A popular bumpersticker read "Vote for the Crook. It's Important." Ads and documentaries aired on television showing footage of Duke from earlier years at Klan rallies and acting as a neo-Nazi spokesman. When a reporter asked Edwards what he needed to do to triumph over Duke, Edwards replied with a smile, "Stay alive." Duke lost the election by a wide margin, but claimed "I won my constituency. I won 55% of the white vote." His total share of the run-off popular vote was 39.5%.

Related Topics:
Television - Neo-Nazi

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In 1998 he published his autobiography My Awakening: A Path to Racial Understanding. In 1999, he again ran as a Republican in a special election for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and received 19% of the vote, thus failing to make the run-off with his third place showing.

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In 2000 the former longtime Democrat turned Republican supported Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan for US President eschewing the Republican Party that had never embraced him or his followers. Buchanan was embarrassed by Duke's support, and declined to discuss it whenever questioned by reporters. The Reform Party had become the party of the disaffected and included, among others, Marxist Lenora Fulani, now a high official of what remains of the Reform Party.

Related Topics:
2000 - Reform Party - Pat Buchanan - Lenora Fulani

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In 2002, Duke traveled to eastern Europe to promote his book.

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