Lewis, a 10-time Olympic medalist, is hoping to mount a bid for a New Jersey senate seat. | REUTERS N.J. pol quits in Carl Lewis racial flap

A freshman Republican member of the New Jersey state Assembly resigned abruptly after his wife sent a racially charged email to Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.

State Assemblyman Pat Delany resigned last month, citing family issues during his first term in office. It became clear Monday that his wife’s message, who is hoping to mount a bid for a New Jersey state Senate seat, was the reason for the sudden decision.


Delany’s wife, Jennifer, responded to a mass email from the Lewis campaign criticizing Gov. Chris Christie by writing: “Imagine having dark skin and name recognition and the nerve to think that equalled [sic] knowing something about politics,” reported the website PolitickerNJ.

Minutes after the story broke, Pat Delaney issued a statement admitting that his wife’s email had been the real reason he quit and acknowledged that the message had caused a great strain on his marriage.

“I am deeply disappointed in my wife’s decision to send that email to Mr. Lewis’s campaign; it does not reflect my personal beliefs whatsoever,” Delany said. “In an attempt to repair the serious damage this has caused to our marriage, and to protect our kids from public humiliation, I decided to leave public life. On behalf of my family, we sincerely apologize to Mr. Lewis for any pain this caused him.”

Delany’s term in office had been brief — he was selected in December to fill the vacant seat of a state assemblywoman who was appointed to the state Senate.

The full email sent by Pat Delany’s wife is as follows: “Imagine, not having to pay NJ state income taxes … It must be nice. Imagine getting a court ruling overturned so your name could get put on the ballot. Imagine having dark skin and name recognition and the nerve to think that equalled [sic] knowing something about politics. Sure, knowing someone with fat purse strings is nice, but you have no knowledge.”

This spring, New Jersey’s top elections official, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, ruled that Lewis was ineligible to run for office over residency requirements. An appeals court overturned the ruling, allowing Lewis to appear on the Democratic primary ballot. The track star won the party’s nomination for the 8th District seat. Guadagno then refused to certify Lewis as a candidate and place his name on the general election ballot, a decision Lewis is appealing.