Lynn Sweet

Illinois Democratic Lt. Gov. Nominee Won't Quit as Steamy Allegations Surface

Posted:

02/5/10

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Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn called on his scandalized running mate, Scott Lee Cohen, to "step aside" after a series of allegations surfaced about Cohen's anabolic steroid abuse, domestic violence involving a live-in girlfriend -- a convicted prostitute -- and trying to force his then-wife to have sex with him.

Cohen, a pawnbroker and a political unknown who won Tuesday's five-contender Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, pumped about $2 million of his own money into his race. The Chicago Sun-Times on Friday disclosed that his ex-wife, Debra York-Cohen, alleged in court papers that two months ago -- during his campaign -- he owed her $54,000 for nine months of child support.

Quinn, who just survived a tough primary challenge, said when confronted with the Cohen shocker that the "only appropriate thing is to step aside." Cohen said he would not budge: "I will not resign. I will not step down." He added, "If the people of Illinois decided they don't want me as their lieutenant governor, I would consider it at that point. Time will tell."

The day after the primary, the Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune obtained court records showing Cohen, 45, was arrested in 2005 and accused of holding a knife to a former live-in girlfriend's neck. In a Thursday night interview on Chicago's WTTW, Cohen said, "I never knew her as a prostitute. She was a massage therapist." He did admit to the anabolic steroid use: "It was a bad time in my life. I was trying to put muscle on."

Under Illinois law, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separate campaigns. After the primary, the two run as a team in the November election, and Cohen threatens to be a drag on the entire Illinois Democratic ticket.

Illinois Democratic Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias also called for Cohen to step down. "These revelations are deeply disturbing and there is no place in society, let alone public office, for this type of behavior," he said in a statement.

Remarkably, this is not the first time Illinois Democrats were faced with a controversial unknown winning the lieutenant governor primary, only to be a ball and chain around the neck of the nominee. In 1986, a Lyndon LaRouche follower, Mark Fairchild, ended up as the running mate of the Democratic nominee for governor, Adlai Stevenson III. Since Fairchild would not leave the Democratic ticket, Stevenson tried to save his candidacy by forming a third party. He lost the election to GOP Gov. James Thompson.

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Lynn Sweet

Lynn Sweet is a columnist at PoliticsDaily.com and writes the Daily FLOTUS blog on Michelle Obama. She is also Washington Bureau Chief of the Chicago Sun-Times.... more

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grrywalk

8:34AM Feb 5th 2010

What next from the Banana Republic of Illinois.

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(42)

A. Capone

5:11PM Feb 5th 2010

Finally crime is legal, but that dubious distinction is reserved only for those in government.

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(25)

jpgoodrow

12:07AM Feb 6th 2010

Well Dems wanted Chicago Style sewer politicians. And that is what we are getting. Is there no honor in our government anymore? Or was there ever...

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(16)

Joe

10:48AM Feb 6th 2010

I can't help but feel a little sorry for this guy! I mean come on!!! 6 grand a month in child support???? And I'm POSITIVE every penny is going to his child too!!! The courts should really call it what it is and no, it's not child support. It's ex wife support. If that female just saved every penny of that "child support" this kid would NEVER have to work...not EVER! That's $720,000 for 10 years, figuring he's around 8 or so when they split? Who knows, maybe he was just a baby and will get 1,224,000 for 17 years? Sure, it's ALL going to the child just like all other "child support" does lol

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(-2)

jpgoodrow

9:47PM Feb 6th 2010

Now why would he quit when his unethical behavior is a bonus if he later wants a position in the Obama White House? LOL You know it's true!

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(1)

cljvedelman

8:40AM Feb 5th 2010

So, he's a pawn broker, held a knife to the neck of his ex live in ex prostitute girlfriend's neck, tried to force his ex wife to have sex with him and also is an ex anabolic steroid user ? What a guy.

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(40)

maxiesmom067

8:57AM Feb 5th 2010

This is news? It seems like business as usual for IL.

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(48)

AL

9:28AM Feb 5th 2010

Just don't vote for the bum and let him spend more of his own money.

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(46)

redpandafan

9:39AM Feb 5th 2010

Just when you think the slime oozing out of that state can't get any worse...along comes Cohen. I'd like to think that the people of Il. are just nice, normal folks, but when you see who they keep voting for, you have to wonder. His answer to the charge that he held a knife to a girlfriend's neck? "I never knew her as a prostitute. She was a massage therapist." His excuse for steroid use? "It was a bad time in my life. I was trying to put muscle on." I'm surprised he didn't blame Bush!

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(47)

markushka1

9:45AM Feb 5th 2010

He may not qualify as a true Democrat-there was no allegation of tax evasion!

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(58)

crossrabbswitch

10:01AM Feb 5th 2010

The only thing missing from this story is where is the sex tape. You would think that a successful pawn broker would just about have his choice of stolen video equipment to use and filling in the blanks surrounding the allegations wouldn't be complete without some video. The point being is that, so far, there has not been an election with sex tapes of a candidate. Lots of sex tapes, now even semi-nude pictures, but not sex tapes of a candidate. The reason why this is important is that liberals have always said that, when one of their guys gets into trouble, that their personal lives are their own business. That we should separate the private person from the public person. That there is a distinction between what a guy does in private and the kind of public official he will be. For some reason, they seem to have recently changed from that argument.

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(29)

S Rogers

10:15AM Feb 5th 2010

As noted he is the idea democratic candidate except his otherwise splendid resume lacks any references concerning tax evasion, but since most pawn shop transactions are cash, a little digging might strengthen his qualifications. Being behind on child support is a definite democratic resume enhancer.
Sadly, we know more about this guy than we know about Obama.

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(36)

HissyMissy

9:48PM Feb 5th 2010

WOW - You mean like this fine upstanding republican

The most notorious incident in Newt Gingrich's marriage -- first reported by David Osborne in Mother Jones magazine in 1984 -- was when he cornered Jackie in her hospital room where she was recovering from uterine cancer surgery and insisted on discussing the terms of the divorce he was seeking.

Shortly after that infamous encounter, Gingrich refused to pay his alimony and child-support payments. The First Baptist Church in his hometown had to take up a collection to support the family Gingrich had deserted.

or how about these fine upstanding republicans

john mccain - demanded a divorce from his wife while she was in the hospital recovering from life threatening injuries to marry his mistress

Mark Foley - soliciting teenage pages with emails

Larry Craig - soliciting sex in mens bathrooms at airport

David Vitter - getting his jollies in his diapers while his dominatrix prostitute gave

(-12)

jckin2sports

10:28AM Feb 5th 2010

Haha, you gotta love the politicians in Illinois, let me name a few, former Gov. Ryan, former Gov, Blogo 'the hair dude", Stroger, etc...and the news ones are just the same...Giannoulias "Senator wannabe" and now the pwnbroker! No wonder the State is in such mess! All of them have promised to clean corruption and to address budget and jobs issues, none have accomplished a thing! Even Obama...we rose him to quick and put him in the Presidency without any proven track record.
What a bunch of leaders! LOL

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(37)

jimurt

10:40AM Feb 5th 2010

If you added hypocrisy to the list the guy would be a conservative.

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(-31)

lolabull

11:12AM Feb 5th 2010

Nice try jimurt but no one's listening to your senseless drivel. Leave it to the likes of a pathalogically ill liberal-type to gloss over the actual fallacy of the guy in question to take a jab at conservative's in general. See a shrink, idiot.

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(23)

markushka1

1:48PM Feb 5th 2010

If you added hypocrisy you would have John Edwards

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(22)

tyrebitre

9:57PM Feb 5th 2010

"lolabull
11:12AM Feb 5th 2010
Nice try jimurt but no one's listening to your senseless drivel. Leave it to the likes of a pathalogically ill liberal-type to gloss over the actual fallacy of the guy in question to take a jab at conservative's in general. See a shrink, idiot."

Nice try , lotabull, but no one except the intellectually dishonest are buying your senseless drivel. Leave it to a lying, dishonest, hypocritical conservative-type to ignore the posts of the likes of liberty1st4me, markushka1, and s rogers (all of whom posted earlier than jimurt and in more length) ,who attacked Democrats instead of the actual fallacies of the guy in question, and attack a poster whose post was less of an offense. I don't care who you see; you'll still be a hypocrite AND an idiot.

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(-6)

jpgoodrow

12:10AM Feb 6th 2010

markushka1 "If you added hypocrisy you would have John Edwards " ---------------------------------

NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

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(5)

flkewlkid00

10:54AM Feb 5th 2010

if only these democrats would model themselves after the church going southern republicans such as mark sanford,et al !

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