http://www.11alive.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/12/clay-aiken-congress-democratic-rival-keith-crisco/9011967/Clay Aiken's Democratic challenger dies suddenly
USA Today, news source 5:28 p.m. EDT May 12, 2014
ASHEBORO, NC (USA Today) -- Singer Clay Aiken's chief rival for the Democratic nomination for Congress died unexpectedly on Monday.
Keith Crisco, 71, a former North Carolina secretary of Commerce, died from a fall at his home, reported The Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C. A woman who answered the telephone at Asheboro Elastics Corp., which Crisco founded, confirmed the news to USA TODAY and said the company's workers were in shock.
Aiken, a former American Idol runner-up, was leading Crisco by 369 votes for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District but the race was too close to call. The Democratic nominee will go on to face GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers in the fall.
State elections officials have been counting all the absentee and provisional ballots from last week's primary, and the nine counties in the district had until Tuesday to report their official canvass of votes. Toni Morris, a licensed professional counselor, was running a distant third to Aiken and Crisco.
Crisco, who was appointed to the Commerce post by then-governor Bev Perdue, is a former member of the Asheboro City Council and the city's school board. He founded Asheboro Elastics Corp. in 1986 and today it employs 200 people.
Crisco and his wife, Jane, have three children and six grandchildren, according to his bio on his campaign website. They were members of the First United Methodist Church in Asheboro.
