Atilis Gym owner Ian Smith announced his plans to run for U.S. Congress in NJ-3 against Andy Kim (D).
Smith will formally kick off his campaign on February 3rd and run on a platform of liberty, small government, and America First principles.
The South Jersey gym owner gained national prominence by taking a defiant stand against Gov. Phil Murphy’s onslaught against small businesses.
Atilis Gym kept its doors open during COVID-19 hysteria and disobeyed the governor’s mask mandate.
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The rebellious small business owner that never cowered to government mandates is the character type Washington needs.
Career politicians leeching off hard-working Americans need the boot out of the door.
This Thursday 2/3 I’ll be formally announcing my campaign for Congress in NJ CD-3 against @AndyKimNJ. 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. https://t.co/B4SoD9fDDH
— Ian Smith (@iansmithfitness) January 30, 2022
Atilis Gym owner Ian Smith is set to announce next week that he will be running for Congress.https://t.co/J5SVENbxCq
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 29, 2022
The same man who helped Sen. Ed “the Trucker” Derr beat Steve Sweeney is helping NJ gym co-owner Ian Smith, of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, who gained fame by defying Gov. Phil Murphy, to run for Dem. Sen. Andy Kim’s Congressional seat. I’m loving this! https://t.co/QqUcRQndSt
— .@SerendipityDizl (@SerendipityDizl) January 29, 2022
Atilis Gym owner Ian Smith (R) will run for Congress against #NJ03 Rep Andy Kim (D). Smith, the long-bearded, heavily tattooed gym owner, became the public face of opposition to #NJGov Phil Murphy’s 2020 #COVID mandate to close fitness centers & gyms. https://t.co/7PqKnUzIvp
— RRH Elections (@RRHElections) January 29, 2022
New Jersey Globe writes:
Ian Smith wants to challenge two-term Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) in New Jersey’s 3rd district. He has scheduled an announcement in Burlington County on Thursday.
The long-bearded, heavily tattooed owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr became the public face of opposition to Murphy’s mandate to close fitness centers in March 2020, reopening his business in May 2020 in defiance of the state before Department of Health officials shut it down.
He became politically active, calling Murphy a “slimeball” and building a social media presence around his opposition to the governor’s handling of COVID-19.
Later, Smith’s gym offered free memberships to people who refused to be vaccinated.
The Delanco resident has hired Steve Kush, the Republican political consultant who masterminded the upset victory of truck driver Edward R. Durr over Senate President Steve Sweeney last fall.
The Post Millennial recounted Smith’s defiance against Gov. Murphy:
Smith, who owns the Bellmawr gym, reopened his facility in May of 2020 after it was shut down in March of the same year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith was fined $1.2 million for remaining open, and vowed to stay open as what he described as a “f*ck you” to Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.
Smith also gave away free gym memberships to those who refused to get the vaccine. Smith said he made the decision after a local Krispy Kreme provided free donuts to those receiving the jab. Smith has described the attempts to shutdown his gym as “a complete tragedy” and “criminal.”
“You are putting people out of business for good. You are making them reliant on big government. You are taking away their civil liberties under the guise of pretending like you care about public health,” Smith said.
On Thursday, Smith received a sentence of one-year probation for keeping the gym’s doors open. “We got one year probation for the crime of taking our doors off to prevent government goons from locking us out of our gym,” said Smith, who added that the Atilis Gym is open “and will remain open at any cost.”
Kim, a former Obama White House staffer, has collected over $3.3 million in campaign funds.
Smith is the second Republican to toss their hat into the race for NJ-3.
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