AIKEN NEWS NETWORK OCT 29 & 30, 2014

[Marilyn]

Campbell Democrats ?@CampbellDems 1m1 minute ago
Candidate @clayaiken will be at @campbelledu next Monday to talk with students! You can RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/293496604177459/ …

[Marilyn]

Clay Aiken ?@ClayForNC 32s32 seconds ago Hope Mills, NC

Back in Hope Mills for tonight's town hall! #nc02 (@ Hope Mills Public Library in Hope Mills, NC)

[Marilyn]

SANFORD, N.C. -
With one week left before the General Election, the candidates for North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District were out Tuesday meeting voters, while also trading barbs about their opponents.

Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers and her Democratic opponent Clay Aiken met with people today, hoping to earn their votes next week. The 2nd Congressional District covers parts of nine counties, in including Wake, Harnett and Cumberland.

"If you're in a congressional district, politics are local and you've got to be everywhere," Aiken said.

Ellmers echoed, "We want to listen to the people of District 2, understand what's important to them and be able to respond."

But through the pleasantries, the candidates also took time to attack their opponent.

"He thinks he can just come in with a song and dance," Ellmers said Tuesday. "You know he's the one who's riding around in a celebrity tour bus right now talking about how he has a microphone."

"She's clearly made it clear that her job -- her priority -- is to make sure that she gets paid while she's up here," Aiken countered.

The jabs are nothing new to the already heated race. Aiken recently released an ad criticizing Ellmers for saying, during the government shutdown, that she needed her paycheck.

"She was very clear when she spoke to the news and told them what she needed was her paycheck," Aiken said. "If you take a look at some of the things she's done and the people she's answered to, she's answered to John Boehner."

Ellmers, however, said she works "very hard" for her paycheck.

"I find it very difficult to understand why he would hit me on that issue," Ellmers said. "I work very hard for my paycheck, as do all the Americans who are earning a paycheck right now -- especially women in the work force."

Conservative polling group Civitas has Ellmers up by 8 points. Both candidates said they'll remain active campaigning through Election Day.

Copyright 2014 WNCN. All rights reserved.


WNCN

[Marilyn]

From FB:

Gretchen Brown Wester

I had the opportunity to hear Clay speak and was so impressed with him and his willingness to hear the concerns of those in his district. Please, when you vote, take the time to really look at what the candidates would like to try to accomplish. Don't just vote on a party line.

[Marilyn]

Hot Diggity Dog NC
about an hour ago
Clay Akin stopped by HotDiggityNC.com

[Marilyn]

Jordy Lewis
9 hrs · Hope Mills, NC ·

Clay Aiken talking to voters in Hope Mills..

[Marilyn]

ATN ONLINE
 

Aiken, Ellmers campaign in Archdale
Oct. 30, 2014 @ 08:00 AM

Daniel Kennedy
ARCHDALE —

As Rep. Renee Ellmers and challenger Clay Aiken seek to represent U.S. House District 2, both the incumbent and the former American Idol runner-up from Cary made stops at Pioneer Family Restaurant to meet constituents from Archdale.

Aiken, 35, ate lunch, met with city officials and spoke to customers Friday who approached the multi-platinum recording artist, and he asked them for their votes on Nov. 4.

Ellmers, 51, followed suit on Monday, dropping by to eat lunch with Archdale's city manager, council members and Sen. Jerry Tillman, all of whom voiced their support for her campaign.

Aiken faces the difficult task of winning support from a primarily Republican district that includes Alamance, Chatham, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Moore, Randolph and Wake counties. He has responded by making a three-week bus tour of the district, meeting as many potential voters as he can.

“The whole purpose of the past three weeks has been to try to do something for folks around here I don't think they get very often,” Aiken said. “I would argue that most of the people in the area have not met the person who represents them. I would also argue that she may very well not realize that Interstate 85 runs through her district.”

Aiken contends that Ellmers, who is hoping for a third term, has become a veteran of Washington, but an unknown to her constituents. He also briefly discussed his celebrity status, hoping it does not detract from the issues. The Cary native believes he can provide a fresh perspective to the district, and does not want the race to turn into a popularity contest.

“Part of [campaigning] has to do with what people's priorities are when they get into office,” Aiken said. “Is your priority to be the type of person who wants to be around and talk to people, or is your priority to be in leadership and work your way up? Well, I don't need that. I've done that – got the T-shirt.”

When asked her reason for visiting Archdale, Ellmers said she wanted to hear from the people she represents, mentioning Aiken's local approach to politics as a pillar of his campaign. She believes that a Republican-led House has passed legislation that is seeking to create a healthy environment for job growth and wants residents to understand her goals.

“When [Aiken] is talking about some issues, he tends to look at things from a local [perspective],” Ellmers said. “But you do have to look at it from a federal level. Those are some things we've worked on. I've been out talking with constituents … listening to their concerns.

“No matter who I talk to, they're concerned about the economy, they're concerned about job creation and they're concerned about the country and the direction the country is going in. They really want some good, strong leadership in Washington.”

Despite his disadvantages with voters, Aiken is reportedly matching Ellmers blow-for-blow in campaign funding. Tucker Middleton, Aiken's communications director, announced that their campaign received $355,000 from third-quarter fundraising, bringing his total contributions to more than $1 million over an eight-month period.

Ellmers raised $280,000 in the third quarter. Aiken, who announced his candidacy Feb. 5, claims he has received financial support almost exclusively from individual donors, while Ellmers' contributions are drawn largely from political committees.

Originally from Michigan, Ellmers moved to Harnett County following the birth of her son and has lived there since. A registered nurse for 21 years prior to her election to Congress in 2010, Ellmers has campaigned on healthcare issues, as well as job creation

[Marilyn]

Brian Foreman ?@b4man72 · 2m2 minutes ago
Behind the @ClayForNC bus heading to Raleigh. Good luck next week clayaiken! http://instagram.com/p/ux-NfoBlBB/

[Marilyn]

https://www.facebook.com/christy.sirls

Christy Sirls
36 mins ·
Eating lunch at Johnson's and Clay Aiken walks in.

[Marilyn]

@NikkiSchwab
I write Washington Whispers at @usnews. Formerly @YeasAndNays at @DCExaminer and @RedAlert. RTs are not high fives. Tips: nschwab@usnews.com.

 Washington, D.C.

Nikki Schwab @NikkiSchwab · 12m 12 minutes ago
Today on PopPolitics with @TedStew, I'll be talking @clayaiken and @alfranken, celebrities turned politicians!

[Marilyn]

clayaiken 21m21 minutes ago
Fellow musician from #NC02 @nu_blu @ladyblu2003 eligible for @thegrammys this year! Vote 4 her. Shes voting 4 me!

[Marilyn]

5 days left until Election Day! Everyone on the campaign is working around the clock to make sure the residents of NC's 2nd District have what they need to make their vote count this Tuesday. No resource will be left untapped.

Arguably our most important tool is our tv ad, have you seen it? This is our most effective way to reach a large number of voters and explain why Clay is the best choice to represent the needs of the 2nd District. The issue is that purchasing air time is our most expensive need, by far...

Will you kick in $25, $50, or $100 to help keep our ad on the air?

Our pockets aren't lined by the funding of special interest groups, but by low-dollar donations from folks who are more interested in progress over finger-pointing. Ensuring that our ad stays on the air is critical with so few days remaining.

Can you help us stay on the air by making a contribution, big or small?

Your continued support is what has kept our campaign alive and has put us in a position to be successful on 11/4. Please contribute what you can, let's finish what we started!

Thank you,


Nick Leisey
Finance Director
Clay Aiken for North Carolina

[Marilyn]

Clay for North Carolina
Liked · 8 mins ·


Took the bus back to Siler City before we head to Randolph County for the afternoon. Stopped into Johnson's Siler City, NC and grabbed one of their famous burgers!

[Marilyn]

Danielle Battaglia ?@DBattagliaNR · 6m6 minutes ago
The Clay Aiken bus. It's starting to draw some fans

Danielle Battaglia ?@DBattagliaNR
So does he.

[Marilyn]

Taylor Lord ?@pronetoshoot · 58s58 seconds ago
Clay Aiken is in the photo department rn. Hahahahaha

she's at Randolph Community College