Clay Aiken called as winner of the Democratic congressional primary

American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken has won what had been a hotly contested Democratic primary for a North Carolina congressional seat after his opponent suddenly died on Monday.

The final, unofficial vote count that was posted Tuesday and it ruled that Aiken was the winner.

The county-by-county tally of the 2nd Congressional District race posted by the state Tuesday confirmed Aiken got more than 40 per cent of the vote needed to win the three-candidate race.

Aiken will face Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers in November in the GOP-leaning district where Mitt Romney won nearly six in 10 votes in 2012.

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