American Idol Clay Aiken Is Running For NC Congress Seat

NORTH CAROLINA — Clay Aiken, former American Idol contestant, is running for Congress in North Carolina for a second time.

He was on the reality show 20 years ago. When he first ran for Congress in 2014, he came in second.

"One thing that has never changed for me is how much I love my home state," Aiken said in a YouTube announcement. "North Carolina is the place where I discovered first that I had a voice, and that it was a voice that could be used for more than singing."

Aiken is a Democrat running on a progressive platform in District 6.

Systemic racism, income inequality, healthcare and voting rights are among his top priorities to address, and he mentions more in his announcement, which you can watch below.