TRENTON — Carl Lewis has run plenty of races, but never one like this. As the deadline for major party hopefuls to file as candidates for the state Legislature office is down to the wire, Democrats are in talks with the nine-time Olympic track and field gold medalist about a potential state Senate candidacy in South Jersey’s 8th Legislative...
Theo Walcott (L) and Carl Lewis pose together during the official reopening of Niketown London in Oxford Street on November 8, 2010 in London, England. The flagship store has been re-launched making it the largest Nike store in the world. Lewis is being recruited to run for the legislature by New Jersey Democrats.TRENTON — Carl Lewis has run plenty of races, but never one like this.
As the deadline for major party hopefuls to file as candidates for the state Legislature office is down to the wire, Democrats are in talks with the nine-time Olympic track and field gold medalist about a potential state Senate candidacy in South Jersey’s 8th Legislative District, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
The sources were not authorized to speak publicly before Lewis makes a decision. A call to Lewis’s manager was not returned.
The 49-year-old track legend, whose full name is Frederick Carlton Lewis, owns a home in Medford but recently lived in Los Angeles. Born in Alabama, his parents, who were active in the civil rights movement, moved the family to Willingboro, in Burlington County, when he was two. He graduated from Willingboro High School in 1979. Lewis was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame last year.
The district where Lewis is considering running leans Republican and is made up of parts of Burlington, Camden and Atlantic Counties. Democrats, however, feel a star candidate like Lewis would make it competitive. The seat is currently held by state Sen. Dawn Addiego (R-Burlington).
If Lewis decides to run, he’ll have to sprint to collect at least 100 valid signatures in his legislative district by Monday. He’ll also have to register to vote in Burlington County, where as of Friday he was not registered, according to the office of the Superintendent of Elections.
Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray said Democrats may be trying to do what Republicans did last year with former Philadelphia Eagle tackle Jon Runyan, who won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, but was skeptical about his chances in the GOP-leaning district.
In his personal website, Lewis said his family moved from Alabama to Willingboro after his mother "saw my father being hosed down by the police at a civil rights rally on television one day." He compared his upbringing in Willingboro to a "storybook experience."
Lewis competed in the Olympics in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996, winning nine gold medals and one silver. He’s written two books and has recently tried his hand at acting.
In 2003, he was arrested in Los Angeles after he crashed his car, and was charged driving under the influence of alcohol. Later that year, the charge was dropped and he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of speeding, leading to a sentence of three years probation and a $500 fine.
In a 2007 interview posted on the Universal Sports website, Lewis said: "I had two beers and a couple hours later, I went home. I learned that even though you realize you may feel absolutely nothing, and you realize that if you go into lunch and have one drink, and you drive in less than an hour, you’re probably over the limit."