Former KKK leader David Duke qualifies for debate in Louisiana's US Senate race

White supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has qualified for a debate in Louisiana's US Senate race - which is set to be held at a historically black university.

Duke narrowly crossed the 5% threshold needed to participate, ABC News reported on Friday, with 5.1 percent support in the independent Mason-Dixon Poll.

Duke is far behind two leading candidates in the race. Republican state treasurer John Kennedy was polling at 24.2%. Democrat Foster Campbell is at 18.9%.

Duke didn't qualify to participate in a previous debate.

The candidate tweeted the news Thursday, calling the Nov. 2 event "the most important debate in Louisiana."

Duke's campaign has not said whether he would attend the debate, the Associated Press reported on Friday. but Duke told ABC News that he is "happy" for the invitation.

Duke's Democratic rival, Foster Campbell, told ABC News it was "unfortunate" that Duke was allowed to attend the debate, and said "his destructive rhetoric is a distraction from this campaign, which is about our future, not our past."