David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader and white supremacist, has announced he's running for the U.S. Senate in Louisiana. He made the announcement with a web video today, where he included many of Donald Trump's core messages such as "America First" and gripes about trade deals and jobs.
“I’m overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues I’ve championed for years,” Duke said. "Real revolution is coming in the United States of America for the real people..."
Duke recently came to national attention after endorsing Trump's bid for the White House in February. When the candidate was slow to disavow the endorsement, he quickly gained flack from both sides of the aisle.
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Duke was once a state legislator and ran for the Senate and presidency before, both unsuccessfully. As soon as he made his announcement today, Republicans everywhere, especially in the Bayou state, made it abundantly clear they weren't going to support any racist or anti-semitic rhetoric from him, reports The New York Times.
Duke was once a Grand Wizard of the KKK, America's first recognized terrorist group. The organization sprung up soon after slavery was abolished in 1866, and is best known for torturing, menacing, and lynching black families across the South while covered in all-white sheets with eyeholes.
In the video announcing his bid, Duke said he believes in "equal rights" for all, but added: "I demand respect for the rights and the heritage of European Americans."
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