A New Jersey gym owner who famously risked jail and financial ruin to remain open during lockdowns is now planning to run for Congress.
Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, tweeted that he will be “formally announcing my campaign for Congress” on Thursday.
“I am truly excited to have the possibility to serve the people of NJ with a platform focused on liberty, small government, and America First policies,” he said Sunday.
Smith became an outspoken critic of strict lockdowns early in the pandemic when he and his business partner, Frank Trumbetti, refused to close their gym in defiance of Gov. Phil Murphy’s orders — even kicking down the boarded-up doors.
Despite facing jail as well as mammoth daily fines and mounting legal costs into the millions, the pair remained open, making it an iron mecca and central figure for those fighting lockdowns and mandates.
It is an ongoing fight for the pair, with Smith revealing last week that they yet again did not have “the outcome we wanted” as they were “sentenced to a one-year term of probation” in the latest court hearing.
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