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.