Lewis, 49, hopes to run for the Democratic Party in the 8th Legislative District race in November, where he will be challenging the Republican Party's Dawn Addiego.

"Im proud of where I came from, proud to be back, and ready to step up to serve the taxpayers of this great state that afforded me so many wonderful opportunities," said Lewis,·whose parents taught in the·Willingboro school system.

"There's something about New Jersey.

"It never gets out of your heart."

Lewis was voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and named "Olympian of the Century" by the American sports magazine Sports Illustrated.

His achievements included emulating Jesse Owens and winning four gold medals in the 100 metres, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay at the 1984 Olympics in Angeles.

He won a further two gold medals at Seoul in 1988 - the 100m and long jump - and at Barcelona 1992 - the long jump and 4x100m relay - before his last Olympic appearance at Atlanta in 1996 when he bowed out with victory in the long jump, his fourth consecutive win in the event.

Lewis also won eight gold medals in the World Championships.

Since retiring from athletics in 1997 he has tried several careers, including trying to become an actor and last month joined London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe to help launch the start of ticket sales for next year's Olympics.

Following his meeting with Coe, himself a former politician having been an MP for the Conservative Party, Lewis has now revealed his new ambition.

"I'm going to be running [for Senate]," he said.

"I'm going to be running for the children, with the grandparents.

"I want you to come outside and run with me.

"We're going to get the whole group together and we're running straight to Trenton [the state capital of New Jersey].

"Our taxes are too high."

Lewis ended the news conference so he could get to Willingboro High School, where he has been a volunteer track coach for four years.

Lewis's reputation suffered a blow in 2003 when Dr. Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, gave copies of documents to Sports Illustrated which revealed that he was among more than 100 American athletes who had failed drug tests and should have been prevented from competing in the Olympics were nevertheless cleared to compete.

It was revealed that Lewis tested positive three times before the 1988 Olympics for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine, banned stimulants and bronchodilators also found in cold medication, and had been banned from the Seoul Olympics and from competition for six months until USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use and overturned the decision.

Lewis claimed he had ingested the banned drugs by accident in an over-the-counter herbal remedy.

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