--- ---  # Ex-Ku Klux Klan Leader David Duke Is Running for Senate in Louisiana by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jul 22, 2016 4:44 PM UTC  Former Klansman and congressional candidate David Duke discusses his bid for the seat opened by Rep. Bob Livingston during NBC's ''Meet the Press'' on March 28, 1999 in Washington. Former Klansman and congressional candidate David Duke discusses his bid for the seat opened by Rep. Bob Livingston during NBC's ''Meet the Press'' on March 28, 1999 in Washington.Richard Ellis—Getty Images by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jul 22, 2016 4:44 PM UTC Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke announced Friday that [he plans to run](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/david-duke-senate-louisiana-226023) for Senate in Louisiana. Duke posted an announcement video online, positioning himself as a defender of white heritage. “I believe in equal rights for all and respect for all Americans,” Duke said. “However, what makes me different is I also demand respect for the rights and the heritage of European Americans.” A registered Republican, Duke will be seeking a seat vacated by Sen. David Vitter, according to the Associated Press. Duke has been [an outspoken supporter](http://time.com/4240268/donald-trump-kkk-david-duke/) of Donald Trump throughout the election. He is a former state representative, representing suburban New Orleans for one term over 20 years ago, later running unsuccessful campaigns for Congress and for governor. “With the country coming apart at the seams and no one willing to really speak the truth about what is happening, the majority population in this country needs someone who will actually give voice to their interests in the face of an increasingly violent hatefest launched by the media and political establishment against them,” Duke’s website reads. Ex-Ku Klux Klan Leader David Duke Is Running For U.S. Senate ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4419382/david-duke-ku-klux-klan-senate-louisiana/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4419382/david-duke-ku-klux-klan-senate-louisiana/"},"headline":"Ex-Ku Klux Klan Leader David Duke Is Running for Senate in Louisiana","datePublished":"2016-07-22T16:44:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:28:48.816Z","description":"The former Klansman is positioning himself as a defender of white heritage","url":"https://time.com/4419382/david-duke-ku-klux-klan-senate-louisiana/","keywords":["Louisiana","2016 Election topic","Senate","Congress"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt596c75fbc763b9a6/698777983c16397c53450e76/david-duke.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel White","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-white/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt596c75fbc763b9a6/698777983c16397c53450e76/david-duke.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Former Klansman and congressional candidate David Duke discusses his bid for the seat opened by Rep. Bob Livingston during NBC's ''Meet the Press'' on March 28, 1999 in Washington.","caption":"Former Klansman and congressional candidate David Duke discusses his bid for the seat opened by Rep. Bob Livingston during NBC's ''Meet the Press'' on March 28, 1999 in Washington.","creditText":"Richard Ellis—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/louisiana/","name":"Louisiana"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4419382/david-duke-ku-klux-klan-senate-louisiana/","name":"Ex-Ku Klux Klan Leader David Duke Is Running for Senate in Louisiana"}}]}] ```