Clay Aiken, the North Carolinian “American Idol”-turned-congressional hopeful, was still waiting Wednesday for the final results of his primary against fellow Democrat Keith Crisco.
Both have about 40 percent of the vote, with all precincts reporting, Fox News reported. By the numbers, Mr. Aiken led Mr. Crisco by 369 votes, with 40.8 percent and a total of 28,500 of the ballots. Mr. Crisco stood at 39.5 percent, Fox News said.
Toni Morris, meanwhile, has just under 20 percent of the votes, NBC News reported.
The primary winner will go against Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers this November. Ms. Ellmers rose to national office in the tea party wave of 2010.
Mr. Aiken created quite a buzz with his campaign, based largely on two factors: He was once the runner-up on “American Idol.” And he’s an openly gay man seeking a congressional seat in a largely conservative 2nd District.
Some voters saw the latter as a non-issue.
“We need to stay out of people’s bedrooms,” said one voter, 57-year-old Bob Finch, a Democrat from Lee County, in Fox News.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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