White supremacist who tried to recruit minorities to the KKK runs for Montana House — as a Democrat

A man known for trying to recruit LGBT and black people to the Ku Klux Klan to create a more "inclusive" hate group is running for Montana's House of Representatives — as a Democrat.

As the Helena Independent Record reported Thursday, Klansman John Abarr has filed as a Democrat in Montana's House District 21, which covers Great Falls, Montana.

In a statement responding to Abarr's announcement, Montana Democrats blasted the candidate.

"John Abarr is a failed former-Republican House candidate with a revolting history of promoting white supremacy," the group said. "His views have no place in Montana, and we condemn him and his campaign without exception."

Abarr apologized on his campaign websites to Montanans "for promoting bigotry and hate against minorities," and claimed his plans for an "inclusive" KKK were a "hoax" invented by Lee Enterprises, a company that owns newspapers in the state. He also said he now believes LGBTQ people deserve rights and are not a "threat" to white people.