Clay Aiken speaking at Politicon 2016 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr (CC 2.0 license)

Singer and former American Idol candidate Clay Aiken has announced he will be running for Congress. This will be the second time the North Carolina native has run for a seat in the House of Representatives.

The District of Durham will not have a titular legislator in the race. Whoever wins the primary is expected to win the general election in the strongly Democratic district.

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Aiken lost a race in 2014 to Rep. Renee Ellmers (R). Ellmers was the first member of Congress to support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Aiken, however, has been a vocal critic of Trump.

“The people of the Triangle gave me the platform that I have, and I want to use it to give them back,” Aiken Recount The news and the observer. “I want to be a strong voice for the Triangle when I get to Congress, I’ll tell you. And we need a great voice.

With great notoriety, Aiken has a decisive advantage over state lawmakers and county commissioners in the overcrowded race. And he readily acknowledges the benefit – and explains how he could use it to the government.

“It’s not very often that a freshman can join Congress and have a strong voice on day one,” Aiken said. “The people here in the Triangle let me represent them almost 20 years ago, when I was just a kid in a singing competition. I owe everything to my friends and neighbors here.

Rep. David Price (D) has announced that he will not be running again. Price won a seat in Congress in 1987 and was Aiken’s mentor and inspiration.

“It’s hard to understand what we’re losing with the retirement of Congressman Price,” Aiken said. “He delivered so much for the Triangle.”