Ill. Gov Could Want to Run From His Running Mate
February 6th, 2010
Democrat | 
After the political unknown managed to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor Tuesday, it became 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.
Democratic leaders hadnt considered Cohen a threat to win and didnt highlight his past during the campaign. Now theyre alarmed that Cohen could drag down the ticket he shares with Gov. Pat Quinn.
He is refusing demands that he step out of the race; if he doesnt, Quinn might have to change parties to sever Cohens political aspirations from his own.
Quinn already was facing a tough Republican challenge, and with a similarly tight U.S. Senate race expected, the stakes could extend beyond the state offices for Illinois Democrats.
“It really puts all of us in jeopardy,” said U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill.
Cohen, a pawnbroker and owner of a cleaning supplies company, ran against several veteran politicians but spent $2 million - mostly his own money - on his campaign, more than twice as much as all his opponents combined.
He gained strong name recognition with a flurry of advertising featuring people who said they got jobs at employment fairs he held. He organized three in Chicago during the past eight months to a year, he said.
“Only one candidate for lieutenant governor is holding job fairs in Illinois,” intoned a moderator in his ads.
Despite the money Cohen pumped into his ads, Democrats and political watchers didnt pay attention to his past because he was considered a longshot. Quinn said he knew nothing about the allegations against Cohen until after Tuesdays primary.
Cohen was arrested in 2005 on domestic battery charges for allegedly pushing his then-girlfriends head against a wall and holding a knife to her throat. The charges were dropped when she failed to show up for a court date.
The Chicago Tribune reported police records show the woman had been arrested for prostitution. Cohen told Chicagos WTTW-TV that he met her at a “massage therapy place” and believed she was a masseuse.
Cohen has denied hitting the woman and called their relationship “tumultuous.”
Cohen also has denied ever abusing his ex-wife, Debbie York-Cohen. When she filed for divorce in 2005, she sought an order of protection against him and has said his violence was fueled by anabolic steroids. Cohen admits the steroid use.
“I never touched any woman,” he told Chicagos WLS-TV on Thursday. “Thats not my style, thats not me.”
Cohens campaign did not respond to requests for interviews from The Associated Press.
Cohen points out that he disclosed his arrest before he announced his candidacy and it was written about by the Chicago Sun-Times in March 2009.
His win leaves Democrats with little public recourse except pleading with Cohen to give up the campaign.