As the song says, “Ain’t no mountain high enough.”
Former “American Idol” contestant and unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress Clay Aiken spoke to the Huffington Post about his failed 2014 campaign for the congressional seat in North Carolina’s 2nd district.
Aiken specifically discussed the “cynicism” of individuals in his district when they discovered that a former “American Idol” contestant was running for office.
“There was cynicism. I mean, we called it ‘What the F–k’ mountain for a while … because it was that reaction that people had when they found out Clay Aiken is running for Congress,” explained Aiken.
Nevertheless, the singer-turned-politician insisted that, by the end of his campaign, he had won over many individuals — including some Republicans — though ultimately not enough to win against Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers.
“I even had Republicans come up to me and say, ‘You know what? I didn’t think you were qualified or capable of doing this when I found out you were running. I think you’re qualified and capable now. I’m still not going to vote for you because I don’t agree with you, but you won me over in that way,'” recalled Aiken. “And that was nice.”
Aiken described himself as “heartbroken” and “disappointed” following the election, and he complained about the gerrymandering that he said occurs to keep specific lawmakers safe.
“Listen, if I could have chosen to only allow the people who would vote for me to be able to vote on ‘Idol,’ I would have won,” quipped Aiken.
Watch the full interview below, the select section coming at about 6:44.
