Posted by Monique Garcia, Rick Pearson and David Heinzmann at 3:28 p.m.; updated at 5:50 p.m.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin today called for embattled lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen to drop out.
Madigan, who hadn’t commented publicly since Tuesday’s election of Cohen as the Democratic running mate for Gov. Pat Quinn, issued a statement late this afternoon condemning Cohen.
"Scott Lee Cohen should step aside immediately. It is clear that he is unfit to hold public office. The fact that he thinks he’s ‘done nothing wrong’ just proves that," the statement read.
"His ex-wife and court and police records confirm that he has a recent history of violence against women. His alleged failure to pay child support and his admitted use of steroids are just a few other examples of his complete lack of judgment. This conduct is inappropriate for a public official, and his extreme character flaws are an insult to the people of Illinois," said Madigan, who is on the statewide ticket with Cohen.
Four other Democrats today also called on Cohen to step down: Durbin, Illinois comptroller candidate David Miller and U.S. Reps. Danny Davis of Chicago and Phil Hare of the Quad Cities.
“People clearly needed the media or other politicians to ask the hard questions before the election. Certainly his background is worrisome, it’s troubling,” Durbin said. “I don’t believe he will be lieutenant governor. I hope that he’ll sit down with some people that he trusts with good political judgment who will tell him what’s ahead. This is not going to go away. It’s just going to reach a point where he ultimately will realize he can’t be lieutenant governor.”
Cohen, who said Thursday he’s not going to quit the lieutenant governor’s race, has stayed out of the public eye today.
Cohen spokeswoman Gina Baratta said late this afternoon that Cohen is not dropping out. "Nothing has changed. Everything is the same as this morning," she said.
Cohen also declined to comment through his spokeswoman about Democratic calls for him to step down. Baratta said Cohen is taking the weekend off, won’t be doing interviews and is unavailable for comment.
A spokeswoman for media relations firm Grainger Terry Inc. confirmed today that the company and Cohen have severed ties. Baratta is a new spokeswoman for Cohen.
Democrats are trying to find a way to ease Cohen off the statewide ticket after revelations that Cohen, a pawnbroker, has been accused of abusing women, failing to pay child support and spending lavishly on extramarital affairs.
Miller, a state lawmaker who’s on the statewide ticket with Cohen as the comptroller nominee, said Cohen "does not represent the values of our party and I don’t believe he has adequately disclosed his past history to the voters of Illinois."
"His refusal to step down is not only arrogant, but he is sending a message that domestic abuse is acceptable. It is completely and totally unacceptable," Miller said in a statement.
Hare, a Quad Cities-area Democrat, also called on Cohen to leave.
“Violence against women is reprehensible and cannot be tolerated. Given the gravity of the allegations against Mr. Cohen, I am calling on him to drop out of the race for lieutenant governor," Hare said in a statement.
"With the Ryan and Blagojevich scandals behind us, the people of Illinois expect and deserve leaders who exhibit the highest standards of personal conduct possible. Mr. Cohen fails that test,” the congressman said.
Davis, a longtime West Side congressman, said he called Cohen today to express the precarious positions Cohen’s candidacy puts the Democratic Party in, but talked to a campaign staff member instead.
"It’s all contingent, quite frankly, on Mr. Cohen," Davis said. "I don’t know that anybody can force him to withdraw his candidacy or get him off the ticket except of his own volition."
Quinn, who on Thursday suggested Cohen consider stepping down as his running mate, has not reached out to Cohen yet, a spokeswoman said today.
“We don’t see a reason to call,” campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Austin said.