Scott Lee Cohen

Scott Lee Cohen (born June 13, 1965) is an American politician and businessman who won the Democratic Party's 2010 nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, then withdrew under pressure shortly after the primary following revelations about his personal life and questions about his background. Three months later, Cohen announced he would run as an independent candidate for governor in the 2010 general election.

Prior to the 2010 campaign season, Cohen had not run for or held political office and was virtually unknown to voters. Cohen is a millionaire who made most of his money in real estate. He also runs State Jewelry & Loans, a pawnbroker shop which he inherited from his father.

In 2009, Cohen founded a citizens group, Rod Must Resign, that urged Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to resign from office. Blagojevich did not resign and was later impeached.

During the 2010 primary campaign, Cohen campaigned as an entrepreneur and small business owner, based on his ownership of Cohen's Green Cleaning, which he portrayed as a distributor of environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Political unknown Cohen hired veteran political organizer Baxter Swilley for the primary campaign and spent over $2 million, mainly from his own funds.

Cohen's campaign stressed his business background and the issue of unemployment. Cohen created what he called a "Job Resource Center" within his campaign headquarters, claiming to provide services such as preparation for job interviews, and hosted three events in Chicago that he termed job fairs.

Cohen defeated five opponents in the Democratic primary for the Lieutenant Governor nomination, including state representative Art Turner. Under Illinois law at the time, the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor campaign separately, but then run on a joint ticket. Cohen's win thus earned him the right to run alongside gubernatorial nominee and incumbent Illinois Governor, Patrick Quinn.

Shortly after announcing his candidacy, Cohen disclosed a 2005 arrest for domestic abuse involving his girlfriend at the time, Amanda J. Eneman. Eneman had alleged that Cohen had held a knife to her throat. The charges were later dropped. After his nomination, Cohen stated he did not know at the time that Eneman, who worked as a massage therapist, had been arrested for prostitution six months earlier, and did not believe she was guilty. He also denied holding a knife to her throat. He stated her call to the police was in retaliation for her arrest for trashing his apartment.

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