CHICAGO — Scott Lee Cohen, the pawnbroker whose surprise victory in last week's Illinois' Democratic lieutenant governor primary was followed by scandalous revelations about him, quit the race Sunday during the half time of the Super Bowl, saying he didn't want to "put the people of Illinois in jeopardy in any way."

Cohen made the tearful announcement at the Hop Haus tavern on Chicago's Far North Side. He spoke just hours after a spokesman for powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, the state Democratic chairman, said Madigan had urged Cohen to quit in a private meeting Friday.

"For the good of the people of the state of Illinois and for the Democratic party, I will resign," an emotional Cohen told a crowd of supporters and reporters.

Cohen's candidacy was widely perceived as a potential disaster for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and the rest of the Democratic ticket in the November general election.

When Cohen became a candidate, he disclosed a 2005 domestic battery charge against him had been dismissed. It was only after his victory Tuesday the details became known: His girlfriend at the time, a prostitute, had accused him of holding a knife to her throat but had failed to appear in court, leading to charges being dropped.

More revelations followed last week: Cohen admitted injecting anabolic steroids, was accused of failing to pay child support even while he put at least $2 million into his campaign, and was identified as the target of dozens of lawsuits over back taxes.

Cohen at first adamantly refused to quit, doing a series of media interviews to present his position the allegations against him were overblown and he had been transparent about his background when he first got in the race in early 2009. But he was drowned out by a chorus of Democratic calls for him to quit.

"Tonight he has made the right decision for the Democratic Party and the people of Illinois," Quinn said in a statement released through his campaign office. "Now we can continue to focus our efforts on putting the economy back on track and working to bring good jobs to Illinois."

Steve Brown, Madigan's spokesman, said work would begin soon on picking a replacement.