Politics

Runoff Ballot In Louisiana

May 3, 1999 / 1:06 PM EDT / AP

David Duke lost again, though he did surprisingly well and wasn't ready to write his own political obituary.

After placing third in Saturday's election to replace Bob Livingston in Congress, the former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard backed off earlier statements that this would probably be his last race.

"I'm not ruling anything out for the rest of my life," Duke told about 150 supporters in his Saturday night concession speech.

Former Gov. Dave Treen placed first but did not get the majority needed for outright victory. State Rep. David Vitter was second and will face Treen in a May 29 runoff.

Livingston had been designated to succeed Newt Gingrich as speaker in the 106th Congress. He shocked colleagues on both sides of the aisle when he announced Dec. 19, while the House was debating articles of impeachment against President Clinton, that he would resign. His announcement came two days after he acknowledged having extramarital affairs. Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., eventually was elected speaker.

Duke, a Republican, was only three percentage points behind Vitter, despite having sharpened his racial rhetoric in recent years.

Duke's relatively strong showing was better than pollsters had predicted, and it surprised Louisiana State University political scientist Wayne Parent.

"One fifth of that district voted for someone who wrote a book as radical as My Awakening, Parent noted Sunday, a reference to Duke's recently released 700-page autobiography.

In the book, Duke promotes theories of black people's genetically inferior mental abilities, calls for a separate homeland for blacks and suggests an "Aryan" revolution may be needed in the future "to free our people and secure our survival."

Complete but unofficial returns showed Treen with 36,547 votes, or 25 percent and Vitter with 31,652 votes, or 22 percent.

Duke had 27,967 votes, or 19 percent. Ophthalmologist Monica Monica, also a Republican, received 22,855 votes, or 16 percent. State Rep. Bill Strain, a Democrat, received 16,372 votes, or 11 percent. Four other candidates split the rest.

Most polls had shown Duke, who served a partial term in the state Legislature from 1989-91, with no more than 10 percent in support.