Clay Aiken Loses Congressional Race

Clay Aiken is a runner-up once again.

The American Idol Season 2 runner-up has lost his bid for Congress in North Carolina's 2nd District, as Aiken was defeated by Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers by a margin of 57% to 43%.

Democrat Aiken was reportedly considered an underdog due to the Conservative-leaning nature of the district. However, he made a strong showing by downplaying his showbiz past and focusing instead on issues such as education.

This has been a hectic race for Aiken, who secured the Democratic nomination following the sudden, tragic death of his opponent in the primaries, Keith Crisco, the former North Carolina Secretary of Commerce. However, even without Crisco's death, Aiken was the projected winner of the congressional primary by a slim margin of several hundred votes.

H/T: Variety

Credit: NBC