Jan 10, 2022 - Politics & Policy

"American Idol" alum Clay Aiken to run for Congress in North Carolina

Noah Garfinkel

Former "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken is running for Congress in North Carolina, he announced in a video Monday, eight years after his failed bid for a House seat in the state.

Details: Aiken, who finished second on "American Idol" in 2003, is running as a Democrat to replace long-serving Rep. David Price in North Carolina's redrawn 6th District. Price, also a Democrat, announced last October he would not seek re-election.

Aiken lost a bid for Congress in 2014 to then-Republican incumbent Renee L. Ellmers.

What he's saying: “For decades, North Carolina was actually the progressive beacon in the South. ... But then things changed, and the progressives lost power, and we started getting backward-ass policies, like the voter suppression bills and the bigoted bathroom bill,” Aiken said in the video.

“Because today, it seems like the loudest voices in North Carolina politics are white nationalists, like this guy,” Aiken said, as the video showed a clip of Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.).

Aiken's platform includes fighting for "inclusion, income equality, free access to quality health care, and combating climate change," per his campaign website.

Add Axios on Google

"American Idol" alum Clay Aiken to run for Congress in North Carolina

What to read next