European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday february 20, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 former Klym Mcm Duke elected to seat in Louisiana legislature new Orleans a David Duke a former grand wizard of the Kun flux klan narrowly Defeated Home builder John Treen to win a seat saturday in the Louisiana legislature. Duke had 8,456 votes or 51 percent and Treen had8,232 votes or 49 percent a scant 224-vote differ ence. Duke hailed his Victory in a Campaign peppered with charges of racism As the greatest upset in the history of Louisiana  i Don t think there s been a candidate in recent history who has been More attacked slandered lied about and Hurt in the Way i was Hurt and our goo people were Hurt in this Campaign he said in a Victory speech. Duke 38, and Treen 63, battled it out to represent the almost All White House District in Metairie a new Orleans suburb with about 21,000 voters. Both men ran As republicans. Treen called Duke a disaster for our  i know what this Man really is he said. The Public. Does t or they would t have voted the Way they did. He s a master of deception. He conned them into believing he is something he is  fearing a Duke Victory and an embarrassment forthe gop president Bush and former president Rea Gan supported Treen. Nearly 78 percent of the voter turned out for the Runoff election. Despite the celebrity of the race Louisiana property taxes remained a key Issue. Duke promised to reject any attempts to reduce Testate s $75,000 Homestead exemption. Treen supports gov. Buddy Roemer s plans to revise the state tax code plans that could include raising property taxes by reducing the Homestead exemption. Gop National chairman Lee Atwater denounced Duke in a statement issued saturday. David Duke is not a Republican Atwater  s a pretender a charlatan and a political opportunist who is looking for any organization he can Fin to try to legitimize his views of racial and religious bigotry and intolerance. We repudiate him in his views and we Are taking immediate Steps to see that he is disenfranchised from our  a gop spokeswoman said if Duke is certified the Winner Atwater will Call a meeting of the gop executive committee to present an unprecedented formal motion for censure. Asked about Atwater s remarks Duke said Pecan t do that. Who does he think he is the people have  three candidates who lost in the primary say the would file a lawsuit if Duke won challenging whether he lived in the District for a year As required by state Law. Democrat state rep. Ron Gomez said Duke s elec Tion would probably be challenged by the legislature on the residency Issue. Duke won 33 percent of the vote to Lead a Field of fair rampage leaves 60 Hurt Tampa Fla. A a rampage by More than 200 youths who stole belong Ings from people at a Midnight mad Ness fair ended Early saturday after five hours of fighting that left some 60 people injured authorities said. The injured included four sheriff deputies authorities said. Forty people required Hospital treat ment for injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken Bones. One of the injured men had to be revived by officers and another required 30 stitches to close deep Cut to his Back police said. The youths in seven or eight loosely organized groups started sucker punch ing and stealing belongings from people at the Florida state fair just after 10 30 . Friday said sgt. Kenneth Akins of the Hillsborough county sheriffs office. The situation was brought under control about 4 a.m., said Akins. A David Duke shouts to supporters we won As he arrives at his Metairie la., Campaign Headquarters saturday. Seven in the Jan. 21 primary. Treen got 19 percent. Under Louisiana s open primary system the to two vote getters in a primary regardless of party face each other in a Runoff if no candidate receives More than half the vote. The seat opened up when Metairie s representative was elected to a judgeship with about three years left in a four year term. The election returned the spotlight to Duke who inthe 1970s was photographed in a nazi uniform and boldly removed the Hood of his White Robe to become an International spokesman for the klan. It s an Era that Duke claimed to be sorry for but Treen said he did t believe that. I regret it because. People might think i m racially or religiously intolerant Duke said. Duke left the knights of the Kun flux klan in 1980,accused by another Leader of Selling secret membership Rolls. He formed the National association for the advancement of White people which he says is a civil rights organization for everyone. The final Days of the race brought renewed charge that Duke still was associated with right Wing extremists including sex american nazi Leader Ralph Forbes of Arkansas. Duke acknowledged Forbes had been Campaign manager in his 1988 bid for the preside Cyas a member of the populist party. In the general election he ran in 15 states and Drew less than .05 percent of the National total vote. He began his presidential bid As a Democrat but was repudiated by party officials. He got no delegates at the democratic National convention. In the Louisiana legislature race fearful the Charis Matic Duke would overshadow the mild mannered Treen the gop committee enlisted their top two politicians in the 11th hour of the Campaign Bush and Reagan to try to keep Duke from going to the legis lature As a member of their party. The backing from Bush and Reagan is unprecedented in a local legislative race state and National gop officials said. Locally an archbishop senators a University president and democrats voiced their support for Treen or their opposition to Duke. Letters from Bush promoting Treen s candidacy arrived at most Homes in the District by election Day. The race also attracted International attention with reporters from British dutch French West German and other foreign newspapers covering it. Treen was state Campaign chairman for Bush s 1980presidential bid. His brother Dave was Louisiana governor from 1980 to 1984. He also was a member of the state s rights party of Louisiana in the 1950s, which he said was not formed As a racist group Al though Many members were segregationists. I left that behind a Long time ago Treen said. New Orleans affiliate cutting off lbs in profess of to Soof on Mardi cams new Orleans a a lbs affiliate in t inviting the network Back to its newsroom next Mardi gras because the network s report focused on the City scrime problem and was misleading and very superficial the affiliate s news director said. Our video files will not be open to lbs nor will any editing facilities or satellite equipment be available. Any Story you do you will do on your own. You won t have our help Joe Duke news director of local affiliate Wal said in a letter to lbs news president David Burk. Duke wrote to protest a report on lbs evening news done by correspondent Peter Van Zant during mardigras earlier this month. The report began with a Brief men Tion of our Mardi gras Celebration an juxtaposed that with a series of murder scenes and a Long discussion of our Crim problems Duke wrote. Although there has been an increase i murders this year Duke said that to Combine the elements of Mardi gras an the crime problem in a very Quick piece creates a simplistic misleading and very superficial look at our City and in no Way reflects what the Community is doing to solve the  George Schweitzer a network spokes Man in new York said saturday he was not familiar with the situation and  comment. He referred Calls to another spokes Man but a message left on his Tele phone answering machine was not re turned. New Orleans had almost a slaying a Day during january and police said they found the body of the 34th victim of the year saturday. Police have blamed the increased Mur Der rate on drugs. The City Council which had sent its own letter of complaint to lbs com mended Duke for his Strong protest and asked residents to Boycott lbs program Ming for two weeks. Duke thanked the Council but asked viewers to delay the Boycott until after the ratings period in March. Those ratings Are used to set Adver Tising rates