Former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken officially announced on Wednesday that he is running for Congress in North Carolina. Aiken hopes for the Democratic nomination for the seat currently held by Republican Renee Ellmers.
“I am not a politician,” Aiken states in a video posted on his campaign website. “I never want to be one. But I do want to bring back, at least to my corner of North Carolina, the idea that someone can go to Washington to represent all the people, whether they voted for you or not.”
In the video, Aiken discusses growing up in a house with domestic violence, as well as his experience serving as a special education teacher. His desire is to be a voice in Congress for those who don’t have one.
The singer criticized Ellmers for her votes on the government shutdown and funding for the military. Last week Ellmers expressed her thoughts on Aiken’s candidacy in a radio interview, saying “As we know, he doesn’t always fare that well. He was runner-up.”
For the Democratic primary, Aiken will most likely run against former state commerce secretary Keith Crisco of Asheboro and licensed professional counselor Toni Morris of Fayetteville for North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District.
Aiken winning the election may be a long shot since the district is a conservative area. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 58% of the vote in that district.
