Clay Aiken 'Actively Considering' Run for Seat in U.S. Congress

According to The Washington Blade, Clay Aiken, the runner-up on the second season of American Idol, is 'actively considering' a run for U.S. Congress, representing North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Two Democratic sources close to Aiken revealed the news.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the sources shared that Aiken, who is a native of Raleigh, NC, has began initial steps for a Congressional bid, including consulting with political operatives in Washington, D.C.

One of the sources said the 35-year-old singer even made phone calls to determine the strength of his support and talked about the possible run with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). No details have been revealed as to when Aiken would formally announce his run for office but the source confirmed he is "actively considering" it and "sounding and acting like a candidate."

The 'Spamalot' star has been working with Betsy Conti, a Raleigh-based political strategist who formally worked with presidential candidate Al Gore, however it remains unclear whether he has officially hired her to help with his campaign. Another Democratic source revealed Aiken visited Washington D.C. in December to meet with pollsters at Hart Research Associates to scroll over polling data with one of the firm's partners.

The DCCC has not responded to numerous requests to comment on Aiken's potential candidacy. Both Conti and the Hart Research Associates declined comment as well. No official word as yet from Aiken himself or his former LA based management company.

About Clay Aiken:

Clay Aiken became a household name while appearing on the second season of American Idol, turning millions of viewers into instant fans. Following American Idol, his debut album Measure of a Manskyrocketed to multi-platinum status. Mr. Aiken has launched ten national concert tours, authored a New York Times best-selling memoir, Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life, and released several albums including, Merry Christmas with Love, A Thousand Different Ways and On My Way Here, all of which debuted in the top five on the Billboard chart. Mr. AiKen Starred in a televised Christmas special, A Clay Aiken Christmas and a live concert special in 2010 on PBS Tried & True Live! He has appeared on many popular television shows including Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, Scrubs,30 Rock and Saturday Night Live.

A frequent talk show guest, particularly on The Tonight Show andJimmy Kimmel Live!, he recently competed in the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice. Mr. Aiken garnered broad critical acclaim for his Broadway debut as Sir Robin in the Tony Award winning production of Spamalot in 2008 and 2009.

Photo courtesy of NBC

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