Louisiana Republicans are ready to kick former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke out of their party. The party will vote at a meeting this weekend on measures that will block Duke from ever running as a Republican in the state. Although there’s nothing they can do to stop Duke from running with an (R) next to his name in his current race for U.S. Senate, party leaders will “hope to change the bylaws to block out former felons and individuals affiliated with racist organizations,” according to The Daily Beast. Duke has both of the aforementioned on his résumé.
Duke announced his senate bid last month, one that was apparently inspired by Donald Trump. “I’m overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues that I’ve championed for years,” he said in his announcement video. Duke served as a member of Louisiana’s state legislature from 1989 until 1992. Oddly enough, former felons can currently run for office in Louisiana, in which a felony conviction can bar people from voting, receiving governmental assistance, and the ability to get a job.
After he learned that Duke would be running for David Vitter’s Senate seat, Louisiana Republican Party chairman Roger F. Villere Jr. said: “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.”
Just last week, Duke and his co-host boasted on their radio show that they were “taking over” the Republican party. In a letter about the reported ouster, Duke had the following to say:
This is the right of the people, not the bosses. Many Republican leaders have supported leftist democrats for high office against Conservative Republicans, and some have been part of the Never Trump Movement which tries to sabotage the current nominee of the Republican Party. This treasonous action could elect a radical leftist democrat, Hillary Clinton, who is opposed to the values and policies of the overwhelming majority of Republican voters in our state.
(Via The Daily Beast)
