Clay Aiken wins Democratic congressional nomination in North Carolina

Scott Gries/Getty Images

Clay Aiken wins Democratic congressional nomination in North Carolina
(Image credit: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

Clay Aiken, famous American Idol runner-up and one of the show's top 10 earners, has just won the Democratic nomination for Congress in his home state of North Carolina.

Aiken's main opponent, 71-year-old Keith Crisco, was found dead in his home yesterday. Aiken and Crisco had been within a few hundred votes of each other after last week's election. But even before his death, Crisco's campaign manager Christine Botta said that Crisco had plans to concede to Aiken.

This win is a big step for Aiken's political career, though he still faces a tough challenge in trying to topple Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) in a GOP-leaning district come November.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up