David Duke and the Politics of Race in the South

A thought-provoking examination of the constituencies and the impact of one of the most controversial political figures of our time. Journalists have thoroughly documented David Duke's rise to prominence in Louisiana politics, but until now, few intensive analyses of the Duke phenomenon have been undertaken. This new collection identifies the significant junctures of Duke's political career, from its earliest beginnings to his recent campaigns for governor, the Senate, and the Presidency. Through a variety of methods and approaches, the contributors to this work advance our understanding of what made this former Ku Klux Klan member a significant political force, and of how and why he very nearly succeeded in his attempts to gain higher office. Journalists have thoroughly documented David Duke's rise to prominence in Louisiana politics, but until now, few intensive analyses of the Duke phenomenon have been undertaken. This new collection identifies the significant junctures of Duke's political career, from its earliest beginnings to his recent campaigns for Governor, the Senate, and the Presidency. Through a variety of methods and approaches, the contributors to this work advance our understanding of what made this former Klansman a significant political force, and of how and why he very nearly succeeded in his attempts to gain higher office. The authors contend that the racial overtones of the 1950s and 1960s, both explicit and implicit, have returned in the 1990s in a more subtle, polished, and somehow socially acceptable way. They argue convincingly that changes in electoral politics throughout the South provide the structural basis for this "rebirth" of racially charged political campaigns. Even as messenger supplanted message in the rise of David Duke, however, one simple observation remained true: The politics of the South - and Louisiana in particular - remain rooted at least partly in, as V.O. Key phrased it, "the Negro question." . The first work to study Duke and the politics of race entirely from a rigorous political science perspective, this collection makes a considerable contribution to our understanding of Duke's popularity, his constituencies, and the reasons for both his successes and his failures. Part I: Backdrop To A Governor's Race. David Duke And The Nonpartisan Primary / John C. Kuzenski -- Messenger Or Message? David Duke In The Louisiana Legislature / Keith Boeckelman, William Arp Iii, And Bernard Terradot -- David Duke And Social Science / John K. Wildgen -- Part Ii: David Duke And The Electorate. A Parish Profile Of The David Duke Vote: Sociodemographic, Economic, And Voting Propensity Predictors / Stephen J. Caldas And John C. Kilburn -- David Duke And The Electoral Politics Of Racial Threat / Michael W. Giles And Melanie Buckner -- The Candiacy Of David Duke As A Stimulus To Minority Voting / Charles S. Bullock Iii, Ronald Keith Gaddie, And John C. Kuzenski -- Part Iii: The Aftermath. Race And The Republican Resurgence In The South: Success In Black And White? / T. Wayne Parent -- The Downfall Of David Duke? Duke, Republicans, And The Structure Of Elections In Louisiana / Ronald F. King, Douglas D. Rose, And Matthew Crozat -- The White Knight Fades To Black: David Duke In The 1992 Presidential Campaign / Euel Elliot And Gregory S. Thielemann -- Epilogue. Edited By John C. Kuzenski, Charles S. Bullock Iii, Ronald Keith Gaddie. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 173-180) And Index.