Clay Aiken doesn’t sing on the campaign trail, but his voice still compels attention and deserves applause. Residents of North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District would do well to have him speak for them. We support his election.

Aiken, who gained fame as a singer and runner-up in the 2003 “American Idol” competition, uses his voice now to discuss how he will support education, ease the burden of student debt and help veterans and members of the military who face troubles with joblessness, substance abuse and health issues. He’s also committed to being a moderate voice who will seek a way past the partisan gridlock that has this Congress on track to be the least productive ever.

Aiken, a 35-year-old Raleigh native, is running against Renee Ellmers, a two-term Republican incumbent. A former nurse from Dunn, Ellmers, 50, narrowly won office in 2010 by riding a tea party wave and won her second term handily after the district lines were redrawn to favor Republicans. Over two terms, she has stood with House Republicans in their relentless opposition to the Affordable Care Act and virtually every proposal offered by the White House.

Ellmers also has been prone to political tone-deafness. After supporting a Republican-driven shutdown of the U.S. government, she initially declined to follow others in Congress who deferred their pay in sympathy with federal workers who lost theirs. “I need my paycheck. That’s the bottom line,” she said. Recently she raised eyebrows by saying lawmakers need to bring policy debates “down to a woman’s level.”

Nonetheless, Aiken is running uphill. He’s a gay Democrat in a Republican-leaning district. But Aiken thinks his name recognition may help him win the substantial number of the district’s unaffiliated voters and even some conservatives who regard Ellmers as politically inflexible and not particularly responsive to constituent needs.

Ellmers, who went into office as a political neophyte, hasn’t taken long to assume the tone of an insider. She dismisses Aiken as “an entertainer” and says, “He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.”

What Aiken does know is that he wants to move the nation past the frustration of partisan politics. The broadest sentiment he picks up on the campaign trail, he says, is: “People hate politics. They are sick of it.”

Aiken has sought to bridge partisan differences. He has met with groups across the political spectrum, including tea party groups, as he campaigns across a sprawling district that stretches from western Wake County to Fayetteville and includes nine counties and the Fort Bragg military base.

An upset in this race would be more than a victory for Aiken. It would send a message from voters fed up with a divided, do-nothing Congress.

Ellmers is a part of the problem by being dogmatic and uncompromising. Even more troubling, she does not concede there is a problem. She says the House has passed hundreds of bills only to have them blocked by the Democratic-controlled Senate. She blames gridlock on the Senate majority leader.

“Harry Reid is the problem,” she says.

That “not us” attitude is what dooms compromise and the prospect of congressional action. Gridlock and automatic spending cuts under sequestration have hobbled the recovery from the Great Recession. There is a need for members of Congress who will sing a different tune and sometimes a duet with the opposition. It’s time for Clay Aiken…

The article goes on to talk about other local political races and their candidates.  If you would like to read the entire article, you can see it at NEWSOBSERVER

Congratulations, Clay…It is so amazing to see that all your knowledge, hard work, and planning is making a huge difference!

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Clay was plenty busy on Thursday…Did you read his Facebook post about his day??

Clay for North Carolina

It’s another day on the road. Going through Cary, Sanford, and finishing up in Spring Lake for a town hall tonight at 7:00 pm, Spring Lake Town Hall, 300 Ruth Street, Spring Lake, NC 28390. Looking forward to it!

Clay made a stop at Cane Creek Farm  in Snow Camp, NC

Cane Creek Farm – That’s one big Pig!!!

Clay Aiken came by Cane Creek Farm this week to see our operation and taste some delicious prosciutto!

The Town Hall Meeting on Thursday night was held in Spring Lake

Mayor Chris V. Rey @ChrisRey4NC · @ClayForNC is here in Spring Lake letting us know why he is the best choice for the 2nd Congressional District.

Clay Aiken @ClayForNC · In Spring Lake for tonight’s town hall. Talking Impact Aid, the 440th, education, and so many other impt issues #nc02

Mayor Chris V. Rey @ChrisRey4NC · @ClayForNC I appreciate you coming to @springlakenc and sharing your vision for the 2nd Congressional District. #Vote

Paige Rentz is a Staff writer for the fayobserver.com.  She has followed Clay through out his campaign.  She wrote a great article about Clay’s Town Hall meeting in Spring Lake on Thursday Night.

fayobserver.com – Clay Aiken makes campaign stop in Spring Lake

SPRING LAKE – A long, silver bus gleamed under a streetlight in the parking lot near the Spring Lake Municipal Building.

Inside, about 50 people were gathered Thursday night to hear Clay Aiken talk about why he’s running for Congress and ask him questions about issues.

The Cary Democrat and former American Idol runner-up is challenging Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers, a two-term incumbent in the 2nd Congressional District.

Aiken’s appearance in Spring Lake was his sixth town hall since Oct. 15 and is part of a three-week bus tour across the district leading up to Election Day. The campaign bus makes several stops a day, popping into local restaurants to meet with patrons, dropping into fall festivals and hosting town hall events – 11 scheduled in all.

“It ain’t easy,” Aiken said of the pace he’s keeping, “but nothing that’s worth doing is easy, right?”

With the district sprawling across parts of nine counties, he said, “If you want to talk to everybody, you’re going to have to be on the road.”…

…If he makes it to Washington, part of his job will be “making sure people pay attention to what’s needed down here,” he said, “making sure the needs of this area are heard loudly.”

Before Aiken left for another night on the bus, he challenged the audience to “do something the people in D.C. don’t do, talk to people who don’t agree with you.” He challenged them to talk to five people who don’t typically vote for Democrats and convey the urgency of this election.

“If we can have the boldness to have a conversation with someone we don’t agree with,” he said, “if we can do that here, the people in D.C. can do it. We should set the example.”

You can read the entire article at FAYOBSERVER