Clay Aiken, the "American Idol" star and a Raleigh native, wants to represent North Carolina in Congress. Aiken, a Democrat who previously ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, announced Monday that he's planning to run this year in the Durham-centric House district that's now open. The 6th Congressional District also includes Chapel Hill and other Orange County communities, plus Apex, Morrisville, most of Cary and a sliver of Raleigh. But its shape is subject to change in ongoing court challenges to the maps. "The people in the Triangle gave me the platform that I have, and I wanna use it to give back to them," Aiken told The News & Observer in a written statement. "I want to be a loud voice for the Triangle when I get to Congress, I will tell you that. And we need a big voice." Whoever wins the Democratic primary in May is almost guaranteed to win the general election. For those who only know Aiken as a musician from his stint on "American Idol," they may be surprised to learn that he closely follows North Carolina politics and actually mounted a losing bid for Congress in 2014. Aiken, 43, listed a series of outgoing Rep. David Price's accomplishments, from bringing the Environmental Protection Agency onto one campus in the Triangle to fighting for federal dollars to expand U.S. 64 from two to four lanes. Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill, announced his retirement after holding the seat since 1997. "It's hard to wrap your head around what we're losing with Congressman Price's retirement," Aiken said. "He's delivered so much for the Triangle."