By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
Chicago – The Illinois Democrat who won the primary for lieutenant governor only to withdraw amid allegations about his past says he now wants to be governor.
Scott Lee Cohen says he'll collect signatures to run as an independent.
Cohen says everybody makes mistakes and everybody is entitled to a second chance. He quit the lieutenant governor's race when old accusations surfaced that he failed to pay child support and held a knife to his girlfriend's throat.
To get on the Illinois ballot, Cohen will need to submit 25,000 signatures from registered voters on petitions by June 21.
If Cohen succeeds, he'll face Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, Republican state Sen. Bill Brady and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney.