Slow Burn
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a white supremacist became an American political phenomenon. David Duke’s rise to power and prominence—his election to the Louisiana legislature, and then his campaigns for the U.S. Senate and the governorship—was an existential crisis for the state and the nation. The fourth season of Slate’s Slow Burn will explore how a Nazi sympathizer and former Klansman fashioned himself into a mainstream figure, and why some voters came to embrace his message. It will also examine how activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens confronted Duke’s candidacy, and what it took to stop him.
June 24, 2020 • 52 min
In 1989, David Duke got a foothold in American politics. To build on that victory, he’d have to
fend off a Republican official determined to bring him down.
In the third episode of our series: the people who tried to stop David Duke’s rise, and the ones
who accommodated him.
Season 4 of Slow Burn is produced by Josh Levin and Christopher Johnson. Mixing by Paul
Mounsey. Slow Burn’s production assistant is Madeline Ducharme and Sophie Summergrad is
the podcast’s assistant producer.
Slate Plus members get bonus episodes of Slow Burn every season, plus zero ads. Sign up now to listen and support the show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Share
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Missing in Alaska
Alaska, 1972. Two congressmen vanish on a small plane. They’re never found. In 1995, a mobster tells the F.B.I. the plane was bombed. What happened?
Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie is a weekly podcast dedicated to giving you a true crime fix.
Every Monday, Ashley Flowers will tell you about whatever crime she’s been
obsessing over that week in a way that sounds like you're sitting around
talking crime with your best friends. The storytelling is straightforward
and free of rabbit holes so the cases stay suspenseful and are easy to
follow. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’re a
Crime Junkie! You’ve found your people.
The Daily
This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time,
told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro.
Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m.
Chat About Slow Burn