It looks as though former Olympian Carl Lewis won’t be on the primary election ballot, after all.
Last week, Administrative Law Judge John Schuster made a recommendation that Lewis, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist, should be eligible to run for Democratic state Senate in the June primary election.
Schuster’s recommendation was passed on to Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who today made the decision to exclude Lewis from the ballot.
“We are gratified that the Secretary of State and her legal counsel took the time to review all the facts and agreed with our position that Mr. Lewis does not meet the 4-year residency requirement to be a candidate for New Jersey State Senate,” Burlington County GOP Consultant Chris Russell said.
Lewis’ Republican opponents challenged his candidacy because, they said, he had not lived in New Jersey for the four years that are required to run for state Senate.
Lewis announced intentions to run for state senate in the eighth legislative district in early April. He is a native of Willingboro and owns a home in Medford.
The Burlington County Republican Committee filed a complaint, challenging his legitimacy and asking for his name taken off of the ballot for the June primary.
Russell noted Lewis’ testimony that he had voted in California as recent as 2009 and registered to vote in New Jersey on the day he announced his candidacy.
Guadagno’s decision can be appealed.
Comment from Lewis was not immediately available.
