Carl Lewis Trying To Run For Office In New Jersey

It turns out politics may be harder than winning Olympic medals for the 50-year-old former track star.

He’s won nine, that’s right, 9 Olympic gold medals, but now Carl Lewis is trying to win something else: a seat in the New Jersey State Senate. The 50-year-old Lewis is currently running for office as a Democrat in the Garden State–something his Republican rivals are going after him about.

According to an article posted on NJ.com, Lewis’ residency status is being questioned. Though he grew up in Willingboro, New Jersey, the former track and field star spent most of his life in Houston and Los Angeles. As recent as 2009, he voted in California, but owns a home in Medford, New Jersey.

After Republicans challenged Lewis’ residency status, an administrative law judge ruled his name could stay on the ballot. However, the New Jersey Lieutenant Governor, Kim Guadagno, who also serves as the secretary of state, overturned that decision. Lt. Gov Guadagno said that Lewis “did not yet own his home in New Jersey, did not otherwise live in New Jersey, did not file his taxes in New Jersey, was not registered to vote in New Jersey and did not have his business in New Jersey.”

For More: NJ.com