Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana being vacated by the retiring Sen. David Vitter.
Duke made the announcement in a video posted to his website Friday morning. He promised to be a voice for “European-Americans” in Congress.
“Thousands of special interest groups stand up for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Jewish-Americans, etc. etc.,” he said. “The fact is that European-Americans need at least one man in the United States Senate, one man in the Congress, who will represent their rights and heritage.”
Duke served one term in the Louisiana state House and has previous runs for president, Senate and the U.S. House under his belt. He ran as a Democrat in 1988 and as a Republican in 1992.
He said he’s running on a platform of anti-immigration policies, which he cited as one of the greatest threats to the country. He said immigrants are performing an “ethnic cleansing” of white people, whose ancestors founded America.
He also said he would try to pass campaign reform to get big money out of politics and enforce anti-trust laws to “break up anti-American huge media conglomerates.”
Duke said he’s proud to see Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others take on his views.
“They sold us out,” Duke said of mainstream Republican politicians. “I’m overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues that I’ve championed for years.”
Duke, who was a former grand wizard in the KKK, describes himself on his own website as a “racial realist” and that he “wants to preserve his own people.” He has a criminal history, having pleaded guilty to cheating on his taxes and mail fraud in 2002.
It appears Duke will have an uphill climb in getting support for his run.
Ward Baker, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Duke will not have the group’s support.
“We will not support David Duke,” Baker tweeted Friday. “Several GOP candidates in [Louisiana] will have a great impact on our country. He is not one of them.”
