Clay Aiken announces congressional run in North Carolina: 'We need powerful voices'

"Back in those days, I was a bright-eyed kid from North Carolina on my way to becoming a special ed teacher, and then that little singing competition changed everything for me," Aiken says in the video, referencing American Idol. "That was almost 20 years ago. Can you believe that? A lot can happen in 20 years."

Aiken then described how different the world was when he shot to fame. No social media, no smartphones, and nobody even knew who Barack Obama was.

"A lot has changed for me, too," he continues. "I came home. I came out. I became a father. These days, my life looks a lot more like yours than Justin Bieber's—that I can promise you. But one thing that has never changed for me is how much I love my home state. North Carolina is the place where I discovered first that I had a voice, and that it was a voice that could be used for more than singing."

According to Aiken's official website, he is running in North Carolina's 6th District with "needed progressive policies," such as "stopping climate change, systemic racism, income inequality and gun violence, to securing voting rights, free health care, and a woman’s right to choose."

The primary election is scheduled for May.

Rep. David E. Price, a fellow Democrat whom Aiken praises here, has held the seat for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District since 1997 (h/t Variety). He announced his retirement in October.