Neither party “runs” candidates in Louisiana. They have what is called “a jungle primary.” Anybody who wants runs, and can say they’re a member of whichever party they want. If nobody gets a majority on the first ballot, there is a run-off with the top two regardless of party advancing.
Through 1988, David Duke was run under the Democrat Party label for several offices within Louisiana and under the Populist Party label for President.
In 1989, he became our switched parties, and the Democrats handed the tar baby of David Duke to us. Duke ran under the Republican Party label for State Rep, finished among the top two and won the run-off. His opponent in the run-off was another Republican. I believe this was the only time Duke ever won an election for anything.
He then ran for U.S. Senator (and didn’t make the run-off), and for Governor (and did make the run-off). In the run-off, he was opposed by a former Democratic Governor, fresh out of jail for corruption, and many Republicans joined with the Democrats to support him. Once, when asked about his cruising the campus of Louisiana State to pick up co-eds, he retorted, you’d prefer I was picking up boys? The Democrat won, but again landed in the hoosegow.
Duke continued to be a perennial candidate through 1999, as running for office was a big money maker for him. He developed a mailing list of suckers, I mean clients, who sent him money so he could embarrass himself in public again and again and again. I guess people must have figured as long as somebody as idiotic as David Duke is kept before the public, nobody would think being white represented any kind of privilege.
But, unfortunately, all good things eventually come to end, and from 2000 to 2015, David Duke didn’t run for anything. WIthout the distraction he used to provide, America got sucked into endless no-win wars, entered a period of economic retrogression, and suffered terrible violence and racial tensions. Oh, and the Yankees fell apart.
But, don’t give up hope America, David Duke is back running for office.
This author identifies as a Libertarian and is apparently a Cruz fanboy. Maybe Mr. Duke might want to add “Libertarian” to his repertoire ;)