Dee Snider Backs Former ‘American Idol’ Vocalist Clay Aiken in His Congressional Bid
It's not uncommon for celebs to step into the political world and former American Idol competitor Clay Aiken recently revealed his plans to run for Congress in North Carolina. Shortly after a recent campaign video was posted to social media, Aiken got an endorsement from Twisted Sister's Dee Snider, who spoke about why he would back the musician-turned-politician in his congressional bid.
In a tweet in which Snider also shared Aiken's campaign video, the "We're Not Gonna Take It" singer stated, "This may surprise some of you (Seriously?), but I endorse @clayaiken. Clay is smart, decent, hard working, caring, well spoken & fearless. Pretty much everything most congressmen are not. I'm not from N.Carolina, but if I was I'd vote for him," adding the Aiken campaign hashtag #JoinTheChorus.
In his original social media post, Aiken declared, "We need powerful voices more than ever, so I'm running for Congress. And my voice is even stronger now!" The singer previously ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2014, but lost in his bid to claim a seat.
The post also comes with a video in which the singer stated, "If the loudest and most hateful voices think they are going to speak for us, just tell them I'm warming up the old vocal cords."
Aiken, who is running for office in the newly drawn 6th District in North Carolina, also added, "I also believe we need more civility in our politics, and North Carolina deserves representatives in Washington who use their positions to make people's lives better, not to advance polarizing positions that embarrass our state and stand in the way of real progress."
While Snider comes from the rock and metal world and Aiken is best known for his pop-leaning career, the two vocalists have crossed paths multiple times. Snider and Aiken both were part of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice in 2012 and Aiken also was a guest collaborator on Snider's Dee Does Broadway album the same year. The pair teamed up to cover "Luck Be a Lady" for Snider's nod to Broadway show tunes.
To learn more about Aiken's congressional bid, check out his website.