Singer Clay Aiken announced on Monday his campaign for North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District. In his campaign kickoff video, Aiken dubbed himself a “bright-eyed kid from North Carolina” and recalled his American Idol debut almost 20 years ago. “These days my life looks a lot more like yours than Justin Bieber’s, that I can promise you,” he said. “But one thing that has never changed for me is how much I love my home state.” The 43-year-old singer will be running as a Democrat against incumbent Rep. Kathy Manning, an attorney elected in 2020. Aiken took a hit at divisive Republicans in the state who he said are “taking up all the oxygen in the room.” His district is currently awaiting the outcome of a lawsuit over how the district map was redrawn by state Republicans. “We have gotta get better at speaking up and using our voices ‘cause those folks ain’t quieting down anytime soon,” he said in his announcement video. “That’s why I’m running for Congress, here in this community that raised me and where I first discovered my voice.”