Clay Aiken’s first political campaign has faced its first test at the polls — read on for the results from the primary election. Also in today’s Roundup, Scotty McCreery was robbed at gunpoint, and Caleb Johnson is now apologizing for an offensive remark he made.
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Clay Aiken Holds Slim Lead in Primary Results
Tuesday was election day in North Carolina for the primary campaign. There were multiple races on the ballot. But around here, our focus has been on the second Congressional district race that includes American Idol season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken.
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, 100% of precincts have reported their results. And Clay holds a very slim lead over his main opponent, Keith Crisco. As of Wednesday afternoon, Clay has 40.83% and Crisco is at 39.54%. There is a 369 vote different between the two candidates. The third candidate, Toni Morris, is at 19.63%.
Clay is in the lead, which is good news for him, but Crisco will most likely demand a recount, which is to be expected with a race this close.
Clay took to Facebook to express his gratitude and thanks to his supporters: “I am deeply grateful to the thousands of people who responded to our campaign to change the tone of politics and give the people of the Second District the representation they deserve in Washington. This was a very close contest and as we continue to count the votes, we are more and more excited about our campaign’s ability to move forward and be victorious in November.”
Whether it’s Clay or Crisco becoming the Democratic nominee, it’s going to be hard to win the general election against incumbent Republican Renee Ellmers due to circumstances outside their control. But it’s still exciting to see a former American Idol contestant doing well so far in the first stage of his very first campaign.
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Scotty McCreery Robbed at Gunpoint
We’re sticking with the state of North Carolina for this next story, but it’s not all good news in the Idol universe. Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery was over at a friend’s apartment when three men robbed them at gunpoint. The incident occurred at about 1:45am on Monday morning near the North Carolina State University.
ABC Local reports that the men took wallets, cash and electronics, worth $1,600. The 911 call was released, and the caller said, “They were like, ‘Get down. Get on the floor and give us everything you got.'” The men were armed, carrying two pistols and an assault rifle according to the caller, which were aimed at Scotty and his friends’ heads. “All you heard was yelling, like, ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?'”
Scotty addressed the situation on Facebook later that day, saying, “Yes, it was definitely a very scary night. Luckily, my friends and I are safe and the Raleigh PD is on the case. I will share more when the time is right, but as of now we do not want to do or say anything that could hinder the investigation.”
One arrest has already been made. Mikkail Jamal Shaw, age 19, turned himself in. He is in jail on a $375,000 bond and is facing a possible 17-year prison sentence per charge. The police are still searching for the other suspects.
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Caleb Johnson Apologizes for Offensive Remark
Caleb Johnson may be one of the frontrunners on American Idol, but he’s in some hot water for remarks he made during an interview with After Buzz TV.
He was asked if his opinion on social media has changed since being on Idol. “Yeah,” he responded. “It gives access to a bunch of re****s to talk to me. I don’t really enjoy having to see somebody telling me what song I have to sing … At this point in the competition, I can pick and choose my own songs. … I don’t need 10,000 people saying, ‘You should sing this, you should sing that, listen to me.'”
It’s interesting that he’s criticizing fans who are suggesting songs when we just had a theme that was called America’s Request. But it was his use of the politically incorrect term for people with special needs that has caused a firestorm.
So of course he took to — where else? — Facebook to apologize. “For the record that juvenile comment I made in the interview was not directed towards my fans but to the wackos that send hundreds of hate messages a day to me! You guys are amazing and I cannot thank you enough for your support. Sorry if I offended anybody it was the wrong choice of words. Also I greatly appreciate it when you guys give me song suggestions but it gets really overwhelming at the volume it comes in so please understand.”
He seems to be backtracking here, not just with the R-word but also his criticism of people who make song suggestions. It will be interesting to see if he addresses the situation on the show this week and also if this affects with the voting.
(Image courtesy of Clay Aiken for North Carolina)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
