Former leader of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke aligned his candidacy for the Senate in lockstep with Donald Trump's run for the presidency,
telling NPR that "the same lies they make about him is what they say about me."
That is, "Donald Trump is not a racist," Duke said Friday on NPR's "Morning Edition."
"I would hope that he and others would realize the same lies they make about him is what they say about me," Duke said on the show. "I've always said that I'm equal rights for all people, but I also believe that European Americans shouldn't be facing discrimination either.
"Donald Trump is not a racist. And the truth is, in this country, if you simply defend the heritage of European American people, then you're automatically a racist," Duke told NPR.
One of two dozen candidates running for the Louisiana open seat left by outgoing Republican David Vitter, Duke touted his conservative agenda and said "nobody will be more supportive of (Trump's) legislative agenda," especially on the issue of "protecting our borders from this massive immigration."
Duke, 66, announced his candidacy in July saying, "My time has come."
Not if the state GOP party has anything to say about it.
State GOP chairman Roger Villere said in a statement the party "will play an active role in opposing" him,
ABC News reported.
But Duke is undeterred, telling NPR he sees a pathway to victory in Louisiana.
"We've done the analysis of what's going on here in Louisiana," Duke said. "We've already polled inside the Trump voters and we know that we're going to carry 75 to 80 percent of those who are gonna vote for Trump.
"Because I represent the ideas of preserving this country and the heritage of this country and I think Trump represents that as well."
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