Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken (born November 30, 1978) is an American singer–songwriter, television personality, actor, author, politician and activist. Aiken is the 2014 Democratic nominee in the North Carolina 2nd congressional district election.

Aiken began his rise to fame placing second on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. He and the 2003 Winner Ruben Studdard were both offered recording contracts by RCA Records, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released in October 2003. He released four more albums on the RCA label: Merry Christmas with Love (2004), A Thousand Different Ways (2006), and the Christmas EP, All is Well (2006). His fourth studio album (the first album of original material since 2003's Measure of a Man), On My Way Here was released on May 6, 2008.