On Tuesday, August 5th, Clay Aiken was interviewed in Dunn, NC by Tom Woerner of the The Daily Record.  On Wednesday, the interview was posted on the internet and also published in the print addition of the Daily Record.  There were two parts of the interview that stood out to me.

… Mr. Aiken said he would accept an offer from a Raleigh media outlet to debate Mrs. Ellmers, who lives in Dunn when not representing the area in Washington. The incumbent has not said publicly whether or not she will accept the invitation. Mr. Aiken said the public deserves to hear from the candidates in the race.
“They need to see us stand up next to each other and answer the same questions,” Mr. Aiken said. “Voters have the right to hear us.”

Mr. Aiken said he is ready to discuss multiple issues with the people and with his opponent….

AND

…He said he has people of all po­litical parties who are encourag­ing him.

“People of all parties are tired of the same old thing in Washing­ton,” he said. “People are fed up with nothing happening in Con­gress to make their life better…”

I like that Clay  is not afraid to speak up on the things that he thinks are important.  And I certainly agree that Representative Renee Ellmers  needs to step up and debate Clay.  With almost four years in The House of Representatives, she should be more than prepared.  You can read the entire interview at DAILYRECORD

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Clay Aiken spent Wednesday in Cumberland County.  It was a busy day! Clay started the day with a tweet:

Clay Aiken ‏@ClayForNC In Cumberland County today. Great to tour the courthouse with Sheriff Butler and meet with the staff! #ncpol #nc02

Just met Clay Aiken at work! #justanotherdayattheoffice #americanidol #clayaiken

Clay’s next stop was posted on Facebook:

A surprise visit for Clay Aiken today as we were packing book bags for homeless school children in Cumberland County. #clayniak

Clay ended the busy day with another picture and tweet.

Clay Aiken @ClayForNC Hosting a military roundtable in #Fayetteville this evening. We have retired generals, state legislators, council members, a mayor, military spouses, and a great group of veterans and community leaders. Perfect event to ask questions, learn, and bring our community together to fight for Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. #ncpol #nc02

Now this is what a “real” representative should do.  You bring together people from every side of a problem.  They get together to talk, listen, discuss and problem solve and then work together to find a way to fix the problem.  Are you paying attention Washington DC???

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I found some interesting facts about the relationship between the military and the state of North Carolina:

Commonly known as the “most military friendly state,” North Carolina is home to:

• The 3rd highest active duty presence in the United States (1: California 2: Texas)
• 6 major installations: Fort Bragg, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, USMC Camp Lejeune, MCAS Cherry Point,
  MCAS New River & US Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City
• 110,000 active duty military personnel
• 29,000 National Guard and Reserve personnel
• 18,000 annual military transitions into civilian world
• 769,000 veterans across all 100 NC counties

AND

It is always a pleasure to watch Clay as he travels throughout District 2, listening, learning and impressing the citizens of the district.  

I can’t wait to see what today will bring!