Duke makes stage for final Senate TV debate

Republican David Duke, a white supremacist, will be invited to share the stage for the final Louisiana U.S. Senate race TV debate on Nov. 2, which Democrats immediately seized upon as fundraising fodder.

Raycom Media, which operates FOX 8 in New Orleans, WAFB in Baton Rouge, KPLC in Lake Charles and KSLA in Shreveport, commissioned an independent poll showing Duke with 5 percent of the votes, the minimum set by Raycom to appear on the stage.

Republicans Charles Boustany, John Fleming and John Kennedy and Democrats Foster Campbell and Caroline Fayard are the others who qualified. Those five appeared Tuesday on the LPB-Council for a Better Louisiana statewide TV debate at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Its criteria were at least 5 percent support in an independent poll and at least $1 million campaign funds raised.

The Louisiana Democratic Party sent a an email Thursday night asking for donations, noting Duke previously served as a Ku Klux Klan leader. "Help us right now to stop this man and retire him to the history books," the email read.

Raycom's poll showed Kennedy, Louisiana's state treasurer, leading with 24.2 percent, followed by Campbell, a member of the Public Service Commission, at 18.9 percent, Fayard, a New Orleans attorney, with 12 percent, Boustany, the 3rd District congressman, at 11.4 percent, Fleming, the 4th District congressman, at 10.2 percent and Duke at 5.1 percent.

Republican Rob Maness was the only other candidate who broke 1 percent at 3.4 percent.

The election is Nov. 8.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1