If Clay Aiken couldn't beat Ruben Studdard in 2003, can he beat GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers in 2014? Don't get us wrong: we still believe Ellmers is the overwhelming favorite to win reelection in North Carolina's 2nd CD. Her heavily gerrymandered seat is a scary place for any Democrat and gave President Obama just 41 percent of the vote in 2012.
However, those tempted to label Democrat and 2003 American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken a clueless celebrity wandering blindly onto the political scene should think again.
Over the years, the Cook Political Report has interviewed hundreds if not thousands of congressional candidates, and it's easy to enter some of these meetings with preconceived notions of how people might act or think given their backgrounds. But Aiken took us by surprise, quickly washing away any notion he's another superficial, stage-managed Hollywood star dabbling into politics as a new hobby.
In an hour-long interview in our offices, Aiken was not only polished and poised, but relaxed, free-wheeling, persuasive, and politically realistic. He spoke passionately and fluently on a range of
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