Update | 12:23 p.m. Gov. Pat Quinn's campaign has responded to Scott Lee Cohen's announcement in an e-mail to the Current. Campaign spokeswoman Mica Matsoff:
Scott Lee Cohen withdrew his candidacy for lieutenant governor in February amid allegations of steroid use, domestic battery, and failure to pay child support. Today, he painted his entry into the governor’s race as a principled decision to spur economic growth in Illinois. Governor Quinn believes anything that focuses more attention on job creation is a good thing.
But while both Scott Lee Cohen and Bill Brady have talked a lot about creating jobs, neither has a proven track record of accomplishments in this area. By contrast, Governor Quinn has lead the fight to implement a range of measures to boost hiring—from a capital bill that would create 439,000 jobs over the next six years to a tax credit for small businesses. By working with business leaders, he has taken concrete steps to get residents back to work and secure a more prosperous future for Illinois. And unlike Cohen and Brady, Governor Quinn understands that promoting women’s rights and equal pay for equal work are crucial to the well-being of Illinois working families.
Original post, last updated at 12:31 p.m. with Cohen's opposition to raising the state income tax:
Former Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Scott Lee Cohen announced this morning that he will run for governor without a party affiliation.
"I am running for governor because like the rest of the citizens of Illinois, I am tired of waste and mismanagement, which has led our state to the current financial instability," Cohen said in a news conference outside Chicago's Thompson Center this morning. "The people of this great state are suffering every day."
Cohen did not immediately announce a running mate and called for resumes during the press conference.
"We have several people that we are considering," he said. "I have not made a decision."
Earlier this year, Illinois Democratic Party leaders successfully urged Cohen to drop his nomination for lieutenant governor.
While Cohen disclosed past allegations of domestic abuse early in his campaign, news reports after his nomination revealed he had problems paying alimony and had also used steroids in the past.
Cohen addressed his past during today's press conference.
"I am not perfect, but I am honest," he said. "I spent a year of my life going through that divorce, and I was a wreck. I made some bad choices. ... But I have moved on."
He later said, "I believe that the people of Illinois have forgiven me."
Cohen, a pawnbroker and real-estate broker, used nearly $2 million of his own money to finance a campaign based almost exclusively on job fairs. The first-time candidate held the job fairs throughout 2009 and used testimony from successful job seekers in television commercials.
Since stepping down from the Democratic ticket, Cohen has bitterly questioned the qualifications of Democratic candidates such as Sheila Simon, his replacement, and U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias.
This morning, Cohen also took aim at Gov. Pat Quinn, his former running mate and the Democratic gubernatorial nominee. Quinn critics have opposed his proposal to raise state income taxes by one percentage point to fund education.
"I will not advocate or ask for an income-tax increase," Cohen said in prepared remarks. "Instead I will work to cut wasteful spending, end corruption and back-room politics."
deflected questions about his own qualifications by ungrammatically expressing doubts about Quinn.
"What is Quinn's qualifications?" he asked reporters.
Gubernatorial candidates Quinn, the Democrat, and state Sen. Bill Brady, the Republican, could not immediately be reached for comment.