American Idol alum Clay Aiken has announced his plans to run for Congress in his home state of North Carolina.
Aiken, age 35, will run for the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Renee Elmers in the 2nd district, reports NY Daily News .
In a recent video posted by News Observer , Clay spoke out on his reasons to run for Congress, saying, “I saw this as the best place I could serve, because I think Washington, in general, is dysfunctional,” Aiken continued, “I think it’s high time we put people in Congress who were not beholden to their party, and not beholden to anything but the people who they live around and grew up around, in my case.” He also claims that he is "not a politician" because he is more interested in "representing people, not politics".
In 2008, Aiken came out as gay to the public. He now has a long-term partner and a son. North Carolina does not recognize same-sex marriage or partnerships, and a 2013 survey by Elon University revealed that 49% of voters do not support same-sex marriage. No word on if this will effect Aiken's popularity in the race.
Aiken is a National Ambassador for UNICEF. In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Aiken to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, a position he still holds. Aiken has also worked as a Special Education teacher.
Clay Aiken was the first runner up during American Idol 's second season, losing to R&B singer Rueben Studdard. Current Rep. Ellmers has already voiced her opinions on the legitimacy of Aiken running for Congress, saying, “Apparently his performing career isn’t going so well and he’s bored,” as reported by News Observer .
Indeed, this recent career shift will leave many wondering if Aiken's interest in politics is related to his lackluster performing career; the last award he won was in 2005 for his Christmas album, Merry Christmas with Love .
Check out Aiken's campaign video, released today:
Photo Courtesy of Fox