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Former KKK Leader David Duke Throws In Hat For Louisiana Senate Race, Links Campaign To Donald Trump [Video]

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 07:04 PST, Jul 22, 2016

https://youtu.be/OJ97gEFBH5k

David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan and avid Trump supporter, just announced that he is running for senator of the state of Louisiana, according to ABC News.

The white supremacist released a video announcing his bid for the Senate in Louisiana and linked his campaign to Donald Trump’s speech at the RNC last night. Duke has openly supported Trump since February of this year, and Trump has been criticized by both parties for not disavowing Duke’s support. The first thing Duke mentions in his announcement is that he believes in “equal rights for all and respect for all Americans,” but he emphasized that what made him different was that he demands respect for the “rights and heritage of European Americans.”

Duke continued his speech by saying that he passed the only bill forbidding “affirmative action programs that racially discriminate against the best qualified.”

Duke said that “thousands of special interest groups stand up for African Americans, Mexican Americans, Jewish Americans, et cetera, et cetera,” but that European Americans need just one man in Congress who would defend their rights and heritage. Duke said that “massive immigration” and the “ethnic cleansing of the people whose forefathers created America” must be stopped.

“I was the first major candidate in modern times to promote the term and policy of ‘America First,'” said Duke. “We cannot have free trade without fair trade. We must protect American jobs and businesses.”

The former KKK leader says he is “overjoyed” to see Trump and some Americans embrace “most” of the issues that he has championed for years, and his slogan remains “America First.” He is for “equal rights for all” but “special interests for none,” and he says he will never sell out for special interests. Duke also says that a “revolution is coming for the real people,” the vast majority of the American people. Duke ended his speech by saying that he was going to go against special interests, free the country, and change the politics of America.

Duke, who previously won a Louisiana state legislator seat in 1989, will be running alongside other Republican candidates John Fleming, Charles Boustany, and the state of Louisiana treasurer, John Kennedy. They are vying for the seat currently held by Republican David Vitter, who will not be running for re-election.

Duke has campaigned for the Senate before and even campaigned for the presidency in 1992, but won neither of those positions. Duke also made a bid for governor of Louisiana that was also unsuccessful. David Duke also served a 15-month sentence in a federal prison for tax evasion and mail fraud after pleading guilty in 2002, but he later denied he did anything wrong.

Friday, July 22 was the deadline for Louisiana Senate candidates to register, and Duke registered today as shown in the photo above.

According to the Associated Press, the former KKK leader walked in to register and said, “The climate of this country has moved in my direction.”

The state of Louisiana does not hold party primaries, and candidates from all parties are placed on the same ballot. If there is no majority vote in November, the top two candidates enter a runoff in a December election to determine the winner.

The National Republican Senate Committee Executive Director Ward Baker was quick to say that the committee would not be supporting Duke, according to ABC News. The Associated Press said that Roger Villere, the chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana, gave a statement that said the party “will play an active role in opposing” Duke.

“The Republican Party opposes, in the strongest possible terms, David Duke’s candidacy for any public office. David Duke is a convicted felon and a hate-filled fraud who does not embody the values of the Republican Party.”

What are your thoughts on David Duke’s bid for senator of Louisiana? Please post your thoughts below.

[Photo by Max Becherer/AP Images]

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