6 U.S. Senate Candidates Take State For Final Debate Before Election Day

Six U.S. Senate candidates face off tonight in a televised debate at Dillard University less than a week before Election Day. That includes Republican candidate and former KKK leader David Duke, who will take the stage alongside five opponents at the historically black university. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Duke has nothing to lose here.

“I don’t think he has any illusions that he’s going to be elected so it frees him up just to go after all these other candidates and to really state his positions in a really no nonsense, full-throated manner.”

Cross says the other candidates are likely brainstorming how they will handle Duke being part of the debate. He says Republican Charles Boustany and Democrat Foster Campbell have the most at stake and this debate could decide which candidate makes the runoff with John Kennedy.

“Those are the two that seemed to be really in contingent for the spot along with Kennedy in the runoff and imagine they’re going to go after Mr. Kennedy pretty hard.”

Cross expects a higher viewership since Duke is in the debate.

“There is a lot of stuff going on politically around, it’s hard to imagine that people wouldn’t be very interested and want to watch this come down.”