After having lost his previous bid in 2014, former ‘American Idol’ contestant Clay Aiken wants to run again this year, vowing to challenge white supremacy, racism, homophobia, climate change, income inequality, and healthcare.
Aiken, who considers himself to be a “loud and proud Democrat” will be running for a seat in a newly drawn district in North Carolina after the previous representative announced his retirement in October.
"If the loudest and most hateful voices think they are going to speak for us, just tell them I'm warming up the old vocal chords," said Aiken in his announcement video on Twitter, while taking a jab at Republican Congress members such as Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
“I also believe we need more civility in our politics, and North Carolina deserves representatives in Washington who use their positions to make people's lives better, not to advance polarizing positions that embarrass our state and stand in the way of real progress," he continued.
Aiken took second place in the ‘American Idol’ contest in 2003 and has since delved into politics and advocacy. In 2014 he ran for Congress in a Republican-leaning part of North Carolina but was defeated in the general election by the Republican incumbent.