02-08-2010, 02:32 PM
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Scandalized Democratic Nominee for Illinois Lt. Governor Quits Race
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Scandalized Democratic Nominee for Illinois Lt. Governor Quits Race
CHICAGO -- Scott Lee Cohen, the scandalized pawnbroker who won the Democratic nomination in Illinois for lieutenant governor, bowed out of the race Sunday night; his presence on the ticket could have doomed Gov. Pat Quinn, U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias and other Democrats in the November elections.
"For the good of the people of the state of Illinois and the Democratic Party, I will resign," Cohen said, choking back tears while at a North Side restaurant during the Super Bowl, where he made his announcement. "It is my hope, and I pray with all my heart, that I didn't hurt the people that I love so much. All I ever wanted to do was to run for office and to help the people, not cause chaos."
Cohen, 44, a political unknown, poured $2 million of his own money into his race and flooded that state with television ads with a single message -- the need to create jobs -- while his five underfunded rivals did not have the money to compete. Party leaders paid little attention to Cohen, but the moment he won the primary last Tuesday, he became Quinn's automatic running mate. Under Illinois law, separate primaries are held for governor and lieutenant governor and the winners then run together in the general election.
Cohen never hid from domestic abuse accusations from a former wife, but the Illinois media, his rivals, and Democratic leaders never focused on him, calculating that he did not have a chance to win. The day after Cohen clinched the primary, however, more information emerged from court records about him: his use of injectable anabolic steroids, illegally obtained; a former girlfriend accused him of holding a knife to her throat (she turned out to be a convicted prostitute); and a former wife alleged he was a deadbeat dad.
Cohen was pressured by a growing number of top Illinois Democrats to drop out for the good of the party. He resisted at first -- because, he said, none of them had called to congratulate him after his primary victory. "None of my opponents called to congratulate me, not a senator, not a congressman, not one person called," he told me Sunday afternoon, while wavering about whether to bow out of the race.
I asked if that hurt his feelings, and Cohen said that the lack of calls "showed me no respect. It absolutely hurt my feelings."
Quinn, in a statement, said Cohen "made the right decision for the Democratic Party and the people of Illinois. Now we can continue to focus our efforts on putting our economy back on track and working to bring good jobs to Illinois."
A ballot vacancy is filled by a vote of the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee.
Among the names being mentioned Sunday night were Quinn's primary rival, Comptroller Dan Hynes, and two of the men whom Cohen beat, state Rep. Arthur Turner of Chicago and state Sen. Terry Link from Waukegan.
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Scandalized Democratic Nominee for Illinois Lt. Governor Quits Race -- Politics Daily
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