New Jersey gym owner who defied state's COVID-19 closures plans to run for US House seat
A gym owner in Bellmawr who
made national headlines during the pandemic for defying the state's COVID-19
closures plans to formally announce Thursday he's running for the U.S. House
against Rep. Andy Kim.
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Ian Smith is the owner of Atilis Gym. He made
the announcement on Twitter. He
is seeking to oust Kim to represent New Jersey's third congressional district
in Washington.
Smith defied Gov. Phil Murphy's mandates that gyms keep their indoor spaces closed to the public.
He and his co-owner, Frank
Trumbetti, were arrested in July 2020 on charges of fourth-degree contempt and obstruction and
violation of a disaster control act.