what the confirmed rayciss evince did not mention:
In December 1988, Duke changed his political affiliation from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party
In 1988, Republican State Representative Charles Cusimano of Metairie resigned his District 81 seat to become a 24th Judicial District Court judge, and a special election was called early in 1989 to select a successor. Duke entered the race to succeed Cusimano and faced several opponents, including fellow Republicans John Spier Treen. As no one received a majority of the vote in the first round, a runoff election was required between Duke and Treen.
Treen's candidacy was endorsed by U.S. President George H. W. Bush, former President Ronald Reagan, and other notable Republicans...
Former Governor David Treen called Duke's platform "garbage.
I think he is bad for our party because of his espousal of Nazism and racial superiority."
Duke's views prompted some of his critics,
including Republicans, to form the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism, which directed media attention to Duke's statements of hostility to blacks and Jews.
Despite
repudiation by the Republican Party, Duke ran for governor of Louisiana in 1991.
Despite Duke's status as the only Republican in the runoff, incumbent
President George H. W. Bush (a Republican) opposed his candidacy and denounced him as a charlatan and a racist. White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu stated that "The President is absolutely opposed to the kind of racist statements that have come out of David Duke now and in the past...
Beth Rickey, a moderate member of the
Louisiana Republican State Central Committee and a PhD student at Tulane University, began to follow Duke to record his speeches and expose what she saw as instances of racist and neo-Nazi remarks...
Duke ran as a Republican in the 1992 presidential primaries, although
Republican Party officials tried to block his participation...
Republican Party chairman Jim Nicholson remarked: "
There is no room in the party of Lincoln for a Klansman like David Duke."
Duke joined the Reform Party in 1999...
In 2015, it was reported in the media that Duke endorsed 2016 presidential nominee Donald Trump for president. Duke responded on his personal website by saying that he had not actually endorsed Trump. He later clarified that while he viewed Trump as "the best of the lot", due to his stance on immigration, Trump's support for Israel was a dealbreaker for him.
Trump's campaign reaffirmed that
Trump disavows Duke's support, and Republican organizations said they will not support him "under any circumstances".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke
