Skip to content

Clay Aiken Lost! Long Live Clay Aiken!

Clay Aiken won’t be coming to Congress. But that doesn’t mean Clay Aiken is going away, not if Esquire Network’s “four-hour limited documentary series” on the “American Idol” runner-up-turned-wannabe0lawmaker has anything to do with it.  

Aiken lost to Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers in North Carolina’s 2nd District on Tuesday night, 58 percent  to 41 percent. While Aiken’s celebrity profile attracted attention to the race, he faced an uphill battle from the start in a GOP district. He didn’t solidify his hold on the nomination until his primary opponent, Former North Carolina Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco, died in May. The Nov. 4 GOP tidal wave confirmed Aiken’s runner-up status.  

But with Esquire’s documentary, put together by filmmakers Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, Aiken is due for another encore in public life. “We were granted incredible access during the making of this documentary, and in turn were able to capture the internal workings of an American campaign – the good, the bad and the ugly,” Simon Chinn said in a statement announcing the series, which is scheduled to air early next year. Ugly? Clay Aiken? Who would have thought?  

Related:

Clay Aiken Primary Opponent Dies


Clay Aiken Returns to TV





Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call





in your inbox or on your iPhone.


Recent Stories

House Republicans kick Pelosi out of hideaway after McCarthy ouster

House Republican infighting turns raw during McCarthy floor debate

McCarthy announces he won’t run again for speaker

How the vote to boot Speaker McCarthy played out inside the chamber

McCarthy becomes first speaker in history ousted

Laphonza Butler sworn in to succeed Sen. Dianne Feinstein