WESTAMPTON, N.J. (CBS) - Now the winner in two court battles over his entry in the New Jersey state senate race (see related story), former nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis says he is ready to put all the court proceedings behind him and focus on the November election.

Lewis, flanked by his two Assembly running mates in Burlington County today, insisted he didn’t allow the legal wranging over his residency get in the way.

In fact, he says, it actually helped him as he spent the summer going door to door, talking to people.

“A lot of them really knew about the campaign because of this, so then they started asking me questions about the campaign,” Lewis says.  “So I actually look at it as a positive.”

Now, Lewis wants to focus on issues — education and the economy for the most part, although he says he’s still working on specifics.

And as for Gov. Chris Christie, who tried to pressure Lewis out of running, the candidate quipped, “He owes me lunch.”

Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060