AIKEN NEWS NETWORK OCT 24-26, 2014

[Marilyn]

Chris Botek Dickson added 2 new photos.
30 mins ·
The fair had Vanilla Ice. Hollyfest has Clay Aiken Robert Parrish

2 people like this.

Lori Connor Shoot! Sorry I missed him!!! He was one of my waiters at the Art Museum!!!
5 mins

[Marilyn]

Kylie Adamson @kylieadamson98

Ummm Clay Aiken just waved at us...??

[Marilyn]

Amber Vensko
51 mins ·
Totally just saw Clay Aiken walking down the street...just your typical weekend in the 'burbs.

[Marilyn]

Shawn Gandy @Call_Me_Gandhi

So in weird news I took a creeper selfie with Clay Aiken made fun of him but then he came and shook my hand to say hi pic.twitter.com/WQQaESw4ai

[Marilyn]

Kendall Larson @kendallmlarson

Selfies with Clay Aiken at @LanaAddison - totally normal. @JessXoLeiigh @michaelasnavely

[Marilyn]

darrenbagle
about 1 hour ago
clay aiken for our state magazine.

[Marilyn]

Ellmers and Aiken far apart on ideals, issues
Oct. 25, 2014 @ 11:19 AM
Kathryn Trogdon

SANFORD —
A onetime American Idol contestant and a nurse turned congressman are opposing each other in a race for the U.S. House of Representatives District 2 seat, with the intention of improving the lives of voters through job creation and advocating for constituent’s needs in Washington.

Clay Aiken (D)

Well-known as a former contestant on American Idol, Clay Aiken now wants to use his microphone to bring attention to the needs of District 2 and Lee County.

Before Idol, Aiken worked with students with disabilities and later became a UNICEF ambassador where he continued to work for children. Working in Congress, he said, would allow him to do exactly what he was doing for years — giving a voice to the voiceless.

“A lot of people think this is a departure from what I was doing,” he said. “But it’s really more of just an extension of what I’ve been doing for the last 11 years.”

Aiken said he would to use this to his advantage to help bring more attention to the needs of District 2.

“Congresswoman Ellmers has bashed me for being an entertainer,” he said. “There’s a benefit to that. You need to make sure people are paying attention to Sanford.”

One of the needs Aiken said he would bring attention to is job creation in Lee County. Every day the Amtrak train drives through downtown and never stops, but if it did, he said it could change the economy in Sanford.

“How much would that help the economy in this district?” he asked. “That’s something easy that someone in this seat should be shouting about.”

Other ways Aiken said jobs could be created is by encouraging more programs like the partnership involving Central Carolina Community College and Caterpillar.

“I think we need to continue to encourage businesses to partner with local colleges and universities to make sure that universities and community colleges are able to train people for the jobs that are going to be coming,” he said.

If elected, Aiken said he also wants to address education and helping veterans by easing the transition from active duty to civilian life. In terms of education, he said he would like the federal government to encourage more people to go into teaching through incentives.

“I want to incentivize them and encourage them to come back and teach in their local [area], where they grew up,” he said.

If the federal government helped students pay for college, he suggested, more of these students may return to their hometowns to teach.

“I’d like to make sure we work on trying to build strong, local teaching bases within some of the more rural areas,” he said. “You build up a teacher base in Lee County and the kids get a better education when the teacher knows what it’s like to grow up in Sanford.”

To those who have their reservations about his candidacy, Aiken challenges them and all voters to give him a chance in Congress to do more than Ellmers has done.

“If I haven’t done more in two years than she’s done in four, then vote me out,” he said.


GO HERE TO READ WHAT THEY POSTED ABOUT RENEE ELLMERS:

SANFORD HERALD

[Marilyn]

Scott Duncan
29 mins ·
We ran into Clay Aiken in downtown Cary this afternoon. He was campaigning at an event in town. Nice guy. Posed for a picture with Keira.

Clay Aiken Great meeting you and your little princess!   

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Lana Addison Bridal @LanaAddison

Enjoying a visit from Clay Aiken at our salon! @ClayForNC instagram.com/p/ulxoAntPsD/

[Marilyn]

Bonnie O'Brien
2 hrs ·
Clay Aiken came to say HI at Holly Fest!!

Aimee Miles Eckler Really? I missed him!
2 hrs

Clay Aiken Great meeting you Bonnie!
2 hrs · 1

Debbie Harasti I came to visit you too!! No picture with me? Ha ha!
1 hr · 2

Eileen O'Brien Cetrulo Omg Bonnie! !
59 mins

[Marilyn]

David Little Feather Justice
October 23 ·
I seen Clay Aiken today at sherry's bakery in Dunn had to fix their forklift an get some of those delicious doughnuts

David Little Feather Justice Well my daughter likes his music and Carl Carlson you of all people should understand that an so what if he's gay that's his life not mine

[Marilyn]

Sarah Newton feeling impressed
3 mins · Raleigh, NC · Edited ·

Clay Aiken has really cute campaign signs.

[Marilyn]

piink . ?@jaaaeeeee 17m17 minutes ago Fayetteville, NC
Met Clay Aiken last night (HEART EMOTICONS)

[Marilyn]

Brooke Giles @barefootbrooke

Caitlyn and I just had dinner next to Clay Aiken and all I could think about was YOU SAT INCHES AWAY FROM STEPHEN COLBERT #celebs

[Marilyn]

Drew McIntyre @DrewBMcIntyre

Clay Aiken's people left a political flier on my door today. I wouldn't have imagined this a few years ago. Yes, that Clay Aiken...