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Who has David Duke endorsed in the 2024 election?
Executive summary
David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, publicly endorsed Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on his radio show in mid‑October 2024, citing her opposition to the war in Gaza and criticism of U.S. policy toward Israel [1] [2]. Multiple outlets reported that Stein and her campaign rejected and disavowed the endorsement [2] [1].
1. Who Duke said he supports — the basic fact
On October 15–16, 2024 David Duke announced on his radio program that he was endorsing Green Party nominee Dr. Jill Stein for president, explicitly framing the choice around Stein’s opposition to the Israel‑aligned foreign policy he criticized and contrasting that with what he called Donald Trump’s “subservience to Israel” [1] [2].
2. How mainstream outlets reported the endorsement
Newsweek, The Times of Israel, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and others summarized Duke’s radio comments and the timing of the endorsement, noting it drew swift media attention despite Duke being a marginal political actor; these outlets consistently described the endorsement as coming from Duke and reported on Stein’s repudiation [2] [3] [1].
3. Stein’s response and campaign reaction
Jill Stein publicly rejected the endorsement; Newsweek quoted Stein saying she “reject[s] any ‘endorsement’ from a white supremacist like David Duke,” and her campaign manager likewise said the campaign rejected any association with Duke [2]. Jewish Telegraphic Agency and other outlets also reported that Stein rebuked the move [1].
4. Why Duke says he backed Stein — his stated rationale
Duke told listeners his choice was driven by Stein’s stance against the Gaza war and her criticism of U.S. support for Israel; he portrayed that as aligning with what he called the interests of “white people, Europeans, as well as all humanity,” language the reporting flagged as part of his longstanding white‑supremacist framing [2] [1].
5. Political context and reactions from other actors
Democratic operatives and organizations used the endorsement to criticize Stein and warn voters — MoveOn released a statement highlighting the optics of Duke’s support and tying it to other controversies the group ascribed to Stein [4]. Media coverage noted Democrats were using the endorsement to attack the Green Party candidate even as Stein disavowed Duke [3] [4].
6. Historical pattern: Duke’s past endorsements and shifts
Reporting and background material indicate Duke has previously supported Donald Trump in 2016 and expressed backing in later cycles, though outlets note his relationship with Trump has been uneven and that Duke has also at times withdrawn support [5] [6]. The October 2024 Stein endorsement was notable because it crossed expected partisan lines and because Stein is Jewish, which reporters pointed out as an unusual juxtaposition given Duke’s antisemitic history [2] [1].
7. What this endorsement likely means electorally — competing interpretations
Some commentators in the coverage treated Duke’s endorsement as politically marginal — questioning whether he has a meaningful ability to move votes — while opponents of Stein argued that simply earning Duke’s support is politically damaging for her regardless of his actual influence [3] [1] [4]. Available sources do not quantify any measurable voter shift directly tied to Duke’s statement.
8. Limitations, credibility and implicit agendas in the coverage
Reporting consistently identifies Duke as a white‑supremacist and former KKK leader, which frames all coverage of his political acts; outlets differ in emphasis — some stress the oddity of his endorsing a Jewish candidate, others focus on political attack lines from Democrats [2] [3] [4]. Readers should note that Duke’s own stated motives reflect his extremist worldview, and outlets quoting Duke are relaying his framing rather than endorsing it [2] [1].
9. Bottom line for the original query
Based on available reporting, David Duke endorsed Jill Stein in October 2024 and publicly explained that choice on his radio show, while Jill Stein and her campaign explicitly rejected and disavowed the endorsement [2] [1]. Available sources do not present evidence that Duke endorsed any other 2024 presidential candidate in that same reporting set.