Scandals Force Out Illinois Lt. Gov. Candidate

Chicago pawnbroker was abusive steroid addict, deadbeat dad
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 8, 2010 8:07 AM CST
Scandals Force Out Illinois Lt. Gov. Candidate
Democratic nominee for Illinois lieutenant governor Scott Lee Cohen is interviewed at the WTTW television studio in Chicago on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010.   (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Scott Lee Cohen, the Chicago pawnbroker whose surprise primary victory in the Illinois lieutenant governor race was quickly followed by an avalanche of scandalous revelations, has quit the race. Leading Illinois Democrats urged Cohen to drop out after the public learned he'd met a prostitute at a massage therapy spa, committed domestic violence while addicted to steroids, and failed to pay his ex-wife child support while pumping $2 million into his campaign, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Bowing to pressure, a tearful Cohen announced his resignation "for the good of the people" in a Chicago bar during Super Bowl halftime yesterday. Governor Pat Quinn, who'd complained that sharing a ticket with Cohen would hurt his chances of reelection, said that Cohen "made the right decision" by resigning.

(More Scott Lee Cohen stories.)

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