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London, Friday, January 23, 2004 David
Duke Considering Run for Congress By Cain Burdeau
Associated Press
Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Former Ku
Klux Klan leader David Duke, in federal
prison after pleading guilty to mail and tax fraud,
is considering a run for Congress when he is
released this year, his secretary said
Friday. Roy Armstrong said Duke is considering
entering the race for the seat of Republican Rep.
David Vitter. In 1999, Duke finished third
in the primary for that seat. Armstrong said Duke could be released to a
halfway house in mid-April [2004], a year
after he began his prison term. "He was skeptical that
he would be able to raise the money to run an
effective campaign in time, but he said he would
consider his options," Armstrong said in an
interview with The Associated Press. Duke, whose telephone privileges are limited,
could not be reached for comment. The seat probably will be open because Vitter
has said he is running for U.S. Senate. Duke would not be the first convicted felon to
run for federal office. For example, James
Traficant, a former Ohio congressman convicted
of bribery and racketeering charges, unsuccessfully
ran for a House seat from prison in 2002. The plea agreement Duke signed in 2002 did not
restrict his right to run for office, U.S. Attorney
Jim Letten said. Duke spent one term in the Louisiana House in
the late 1980s, but lost elections for the U.S.
Senate in 1990 and governor in 1991. In his federal trial, Duke was accused of
bilking supporters by representing himself as being
in dire financial straits while actually living
extravagantly. Duke denied the
accusations. | ![[]](../../std/dings/list.gif){kind=small}
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