GOP Senators Back Duke’s Democratic Foe
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WASHINGTON — A group of Republican senators delivered an endorsement to a Democratic colleague Wednesday as they urged Louisiana voters to reject former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and another GOP candidate.
Eight Republican senators from other states urged the reelection of Louisiana Sen. J. Bennett Johnston in the state’s election Saturday as a repudiation of what they said was Duke’s racism, anti-Semitism and hatred.
“All of us would be embarrassed and mortified to have to serve in the United States Senate with David Duke masquerading as a Republican,” said Sen. John C. Danforth (R-Mo.).
Five GOP senators signed an open letter to Louisiana voters urging Johnston’s reelection, and three more GOP senators joined in the public endorsement.
Johnston is seeking a fourth term and faces two opponents in Louisiana’s unique open primary. A candidate can win the election outright if he gets more than 50% of the vote Saturday. If no candidate achieves a majority, the two top vote-getters will face each other in the general election.
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