Correction Note:  Illinois Statehouse News previously reported that no comment was available from Illinois Democratic Party Chairman Mike Madigan.  That was incorrect.  A Madiagn spokesman did provide a comment on Scott Lee Cohen’s bid for governor.  We regret the error.

By Benjamin Yount  Illinois Statehouse News

SPRINGFIELD  –  Scott Lee Cohen is clear about one thing.  He thinks it’s unfair that he has to collect five times more signatures than Gov. Pat Quinn or state Sen. Bill Brady to appear on this fall’s ballot.

He’s less clear about the 133,000 signatures he delivered to the Illinois State Board of Elections late Monday.

Cohen delivered the petitions on the last day for independent candidates to files their paperwork for the November election.  Cohen is running for governor,after he dropped off the ballot in the spring after winning the February primary for lieutenant governor.

Cohen claims each signature on the almost 9,000-page petition is legitimate.  He said it’ll be tough for anyone to keep him off the ballot.

“The challenging part was finding circulators who didn’t circulate during the primary, but we found many many people who circulated for us.”

Cohen is not saying how much he paid people to circulate, or who he paid.  Cohen says he did pay some “professional petitioners,” but he would not elaborate.

He’s also not explaining why he collected so many signatures.  State law requires Cohen, or any independent candidate, to collect 25,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot.  Quinn and Brady only had to collect 5,000.  Cohen calls the difference “professional politician protection.”

“That’s the disparity, and the disgust, that’s happening between the career politicians like Governor Quinn, the Democrats and the Republicans.”

Cohen can expect almost every single signature he collected to at least be reviewed.  Mark Mossman with the Illinois State Board of Elections says people can start filing objections to Cohen’s paperwork immediately.

“An objector, many times, will say the candidates does not possess the proper qualifications to hold the office, that the individuals signing the petitions are not registered voters or did not live in the district where they signed the petition.”

Mossman said every candidate who files to run as an independent or with a third party faces that same hurdles.  And he understands that some people think the hurdles are a little too high.

“Maybe what makes it more difficult for the independent and  third party candidates is that a higher number of signatures is required to put their name on the ballot.”

Cohen wouldn’t guess how many signatures he may lose to challenges.  His confidence will certainly be tested.

As for his candidacy, the same tests that brought his bid for lieutenant. governor are not going away.

Cohen said he doesn’t want to answer the “questions of the past” that forced him off the ballot a few months ago.  Past allegations of domestic abuse, drug use, and delinquent child support embarrassed top Democrats and sped his departure from the ballot.

Cohen said he did quit the race, but said he had little choice.

“They did not want me in that office.  They would have done everything to keep me locked-up in a room and out of the public eye and away from the public.”

Gov. Quinn’s office and campaign did not respond to Cohen.  Illinois Democratic Party Chairman Mike Madigan’s spokesman said simply that Madigan will be supporting Democratic candidates this fall.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady did release a statement about Cohen’s apparent signature success.

“Mr. Cohen filing over 100,000 more signatures than required…says a whole lot more about the popularity of Pat Quinn than it does about Cohen.”