Scott Lee Cohen Chooses Former Campaign Staffer Baxter Swilley As Running Mate (VIDEO)

Independent gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen announced former campaign staffer Baxter Swilley as his running mate on Wednesday with an interesting vote of confidence: "He was not my first choice, but he is the best choice."

Cohen, who won the Democratic nomination for Illinois lieutenant governor in February, dropped out of the race amidst allegations of domestic violence and steroid abuse. He announced his bid for Illinois governor last week, deciding to run as an independent.

On Wednesday, he told reporters that he tried getting Rev. James Meeks to run as his lieutenant governor, but said Meeks was "noncommittal."

"He was not my first choice, but he is the best choice,"Cohen said of Swilley at the Westside Baptist Ministers Conference, according to NBC Chicago. "The first person I asked was Reverend Meeks."

Swilley is a West Side community organizer who grew up in Maywood. He worked for U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, the Haymarket Group and John Edwards' failed presidential campaign before teaming up with Cohen, the Sun-Times reports.

Cohen will need to get 25,000 signatures from eligible voters in the next month to make it onto the ballot.

WATCH Cohen's announcement here: