In case you hadn’t heard the news, American Idol star, singer and actor Clay Aiken is running for Congress in North Carolina’s second congressional district. He’s hoping to take on (and take down) current GOP Representative Renee Ellmers. While Aiken’s success could allow him to largely self-fund the effort, politics still requires you to get out there and do some fundraising, pressing the flesh with the local donors and power brokers. But as the following video shows, don’t bother stopping by if you’re a Republican. You’re likely to get an icy – and expletive laden – welcome. You can just see Aiken in the background as the clip begins, though he’s quickly blocked from view by some looming thugs with a lot to say.

I’ll preface this with the necessary warnings. NC-17 language ahead, and so much of it packed into a barely more than 30 second clip that I can’t even put up a transcript on the pages of Hot Air. So it’s not for the easily offended and put your headphones on if the kids are around.

My, my… that’s some awfully salty language and unfriendly behavior, given the rather friendly and gentle nature that the candidate seems to generally try to project. This isn’t exactly the tone one wants to set for their nascent campaign.

I’m not sure what the Democrats were hoping to accomplish by luring Aiken into this race. Yes, he’s a celebrity with a lot of name recognition, but this is still listed as an R+11 district. And it’s not as if this particular election strategy has worked for them in the recent past, either. (Just ask those star elected officials Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Ashley Judd.)

Well, if this doesn’t work out, Aiken still has other opportunities to fall back on. This review of his turn on the stage in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat shows that he’s still got a lot to offer. And here’s the visual from the play. Best of luck, Clay!