A New Jersey gym owner who became a MAGA favorite for defying state lockdown rules in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic has lost in his bid for a seat in Congress. Gyms, casinos, and movie theaters were ordered to close in March 2020 as the virus first spread, but Ian Smith, co-owner of the Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, reopened the establishment in May and then defied arrest and fines in a losing battle to keep it open. Smith was handily beaten by businessman Bob Healey in the Republican primary for New Jersey’s 3rd District, with Healey taking 53 percent to Smith’s 28 percent. Healey will take on two-time Democratic Rep. Andy Kim in this fall’s election.
