Houston resident and nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis alleges New Jersey governor Chris Christie called Lewis to dissuade him from running for a state senate seat against a Republican ally. According to Lewis, Christie told him a fitness program they had been developing would not happen if he decided to run. Christie’s popularity inside and outside his party is plummeting after resent scandals suggest a pattern of strong-arming and retaliation against political opponents. Christie is a front-runner for the Republican Nomination for President in 2016  in early polling.

Carl Lewis, Chris Christie, nation, New Jersey