Ill. guv race: Quinn asks pawnbroker running mate with abuse arrest to step aside

The beleaguered Illinois Democratic Party has a new problem--its nominee for lieutenant governor, pawn shop owner Scott Lee Cohen, was arrested in 2005 for battery. He allegedly put a knife to his girlfriend's throat. She didn't show up in court, so the charge was dropped, but the girlfriend had previously pleaded guilty to a prostitution charge. Cohen denies the abuse allegations.

In the general election, the party nominees for governor and lieutenant governor run as a team. Governor Pat Quinn, who ironically was the running mate of Rod Blagojevich, can't fire Cohen. Quinn is asking Cohen, who made a name for himself for founding the group "Rod Must Resign," to step aside--and he expects Cohen to do just that.

But if Cohen doesn't put his candidacy on permanent-hock, Quinn will be stuck with him, or be forced to quit the Democratic ticket and run as a third-party candidate. Don't laugh. Adlai Stevenson III did that in 1986 after being paired with a Lyndon LaRouche loon as a running mate. He founded the Illinois Solidarity Party, but the confusion doomed Stevenson's campaign. True, back then Illinois had straight-party voting, and Stevenson, as was his wont, ran a lackluster campaign. On the other hand, despite his populist roots, Quinn's a dry campaigner too.

The Demsocrats have addtional baggage this year: Blago's toxic legacy, Senate nominee Alexi Giannouluis' banking problems, the awful economy, and yes, President Obama.

Silly me--I thought I could cut back on my blogging after Tuesday's election. But I live in Illinois.

UPDATE 6:10pm: Cohen refuses to quit. This could get interesting.

UPDATE 9:05pm: Stevenson told the Chicago Sun-Times that Quinn should consider a third party run.

Technorati tags: elections Politics Illinois Politics Democrats pat quinn crime Blagojevich corruption history