The Nation - News from Jan. 22, 1989

David Duke, 38, former imperial wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, had 3,995 votes, or 33%, to lead a field of seven candidates and advance to a runoff election for a Louisiana state House seat. “I think when I win this race you’ll find candidates across the state and across the country begin to talk about the issues I’m raising,� said Duke, whose campaign platform included such racial issues as welfare reform to reduce black births. “I think this is the beginning of a change in this country.� Duke will meet fellow Republican John Treen in the Feb. 18 runoff. In Louisiana, the top two vote-getters go into a runoff election if no one wins a majority. The district covers a predominantly white neighborhood in Jefferson Parish, a suburb of New Orleans. The state House campaign, mostly a race of personalities that centered on name recognition and endorsements, was mostly quiet.