Former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken is running for Congress in North Carolina. Yesterday people cast their ballots and Clay Aiken received 400 more votes than the closest person running against him. Out of 28,000 votes cast, Clay received about 40% while another person received 39% and the third place finisher about 20%. Although the race has not been called, chances are Clay is going to win this. First, he has a wide enough margin to be outside the automatic recount. Second, he is above the 40% threshold which means there will not be a runoff. Clay will probably lose in the election in November, but hey, that sing-a-long he will have at his party will probably be pretty good.
I saw him on Colbert. He seems to be serious about his candidacy. Good luck to him.
ReplyDeleteI like him! Not as a singer or anything, but his campaign video is sincere and compelling. Go Clay!
ReplyDeleteThis is a bad, bad idea. Clay is a special unicorn, with a big heart and open with his emotions. As someone who worked from early teens with my politico mom thru my 20s in politics, I can only see this making him very unhappy. They will tear him down and I can't see him handling it well. Prostitution is a cleaner profession.
ReplyDeleteHis chances of winning in November are slim because he's a democrat running in a very heavily populated republican area. It's been forever since a democrat won in that area.
ReplyDeleteI agree that his campaign video was so very good. It made me jealous he wasn't running for office in my state.
ReplyDeleteEven if he doesn't win this election in Nov. I hope he stays in politics. I'd like to think that he is a representation of the young voters in this country.
I was impressed with the Colbert interview as well.. now I gotta see this campaign video
ReplyDeleteWOW. Clay Aiken for president!!
ReplyDeleteHe's not probably going to lose - he's going to lose huge. This is one of the most heavily Republican districts in the state.
ReplyDeleteyup, saw this when he announced a while back. i voted yesterday and while he is not in my district nor am i in his party, i wish him well. i love my state but the rest of the country does not so if he wants to try and change that, good for him.
ReplyDeleteThe vid's on YouTube, titled "Open Door." It's a great stump speech but as a video needs more variety than Clay in a chair. He's compelling though. Interesting how he barely alludes to "Idol." :-)
ReplyDeleteGood for him. I would not mind seeing him get a chance in Washington. He's educated, and he cares a lot about schools and kids.
ReplyDeleteYou know even if he loses its still a victory because he came so close to winning. North carolinians usually don't look too kindly upon the gay community. Very old school, baptist, deep fried artery clogging food lovin type of people. Don't get me wrong, sweetest, most kind hearted people you'd ever meet but that is just the way many think. So if he wins, it bespeaks a change is taking place in hearts and minds and that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ di!
ReplyDeleteI saw something on Twitter with him last night, where he said in an interview that his opponent was buying votes with his wealth connections, and the opponent came into the conversation and said something like, what's the difference, you're buying votes with your celebrity status.
Eros - your sweeping generalization of North Carolinians must be based on an experience visiting in a rural area? Because the North Carolina city I live in is generally very supportive of the gay community and we even prepare and enjoy healthy foods!
ReplyDelete@eros i gotta agree with @brenda. there are plenty of baptists and all that, but as far as the gay community, christians get a bad rap. there are other religions that are against it that i never see the lgbt community speak on - whereas christians are warming up to same-sex populations. CLT has a gay pride parade and vegan restaurants. ever visited? i'm gonna guess not.
ReplyDeletei dont really care that the rest of the country might have a skewed idea of nc. more space for the people who appreciate it.
Politics needs new blood! Wish him, and others like him, well!!
ReplyDelete@T.E. I completely understand what you are saying and go through that daily. You think people don't like NC, imagine living in Arkansas like I do and always see the "Uncle Daddy" jokes and quips, that we don't have indoor plumbing, crap like that. A lot of people in the North and on the coasts are ignorant about the South and while it might not be racist, it does show their prejudice.
ReplyDeleteI contributed to his campaign after I saw the Colbert interview. Regardless of his chances of winning, I support good people trying to get into politics. We already have enough assholes in the game.
ReplyDeleteWow that must be an old picture. I have loved clay since idol. A man who studied special needs education must have a big heart.
ReplyDeleteHe has a better chance in NC with the Baptists than he ever would in Dearborn, Michigan. For all the crap Christians hear in this country about how horribly they treat gays, it is nothing compared to the way Muslims view and treat gays. Do a little research and don't blindly believe everything your Messiahs Colbert and Stewart tell you. And this comes from a committed atheist.
ReplyDeletehi*5 @Malibu!! and totally agree with @PugsterMom
ReplyDelete@nightowl... what's with the failed attempt at conflating North Carolina Baptists with Dearborn, Michigan, Muslims?
I'm a Claymaniac.
ReplyDelete