Clay Aiken finished second place on the second season of American Idol in 2003, and then went on to release his debut album.
The singer released several more albums in the years that followed. He also wrote a best-selling memoir and participated in a number of reality TV programs, including The Celebrity Apprentice.
In 2014, Aiken ran for the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina's second congressional district as a Democrat. He won the Democratic primary, but lost the general election.
But that doesn't mean he has given up on politics.