 Meredith was a supporter of the unsuccessful 1967 gubernatorial bid of ex-Mississippi Governor (and avowed segregationist) Ross Barnett, as well as the 1991 gubernatorial campaign of Louisiana State Representative and ex-Klansman David Duke.In a 2002 interview with CNN, Meredith said of his efforts to integrate Ol' Miss, "I was engaged in a war.I considered myself engaged in a war from Day One.