The Democratic nominee for Illinois’ lieutenant governor dropped out of the race Sunday night, less than a week after winning the nomination, amid a political uproar about his past.
Announcing his decision at a Chicago bar packed with patrons watching the Super Bowl, a tearful Scott Lee Cohen said the Democrats were not certain they could win with him on the ticket. He said he was stepping down because he did not want to jeopardize the Democratic Party ticket.
“This is the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life,” he said before choking up with sobs.
Since Cohen won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, it has become widely known that he was accused of abusing his ex-wife and holding a knife to the throat of an ex-girlfriend — a woman who was herself charged with prostitution. He also admits using steroids in the past.
“For the good of the people of the state of Illinois and the Democratic Party, I will resign,” Cohen said in a rambling remarks made as the Super Bowl halftime entertainment blared in the background.
The revelations about Cohen’s past came as Illinois was starting to move on from the scandals of ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who inherited the job after Blagojevich’s ouster following federal corruption charges, would have been paired with Cohen on the November ticket. Quinn, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and Sen. Dick Durbin all had urged Cohen to leave the race.
For more on Cohen, pick up a print copy of the Monday edition of the Daily American.
