Rod Blagojevich

For other people named Blagojevich, see Blagojević.

Rod R. Blagojevich
Blagojevich's congressional portrait
40th Governor of Illinois
Incumbent
Assumed office January 13, 2003
Lieutenant	Pat Quinn
Preceded by	George Ryan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 5th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Michael Patrick Flanagan
Succeeded by	Rahm Emanuel
Personal details
Born	(1956-12-10) December 10, 1956 Chicago, Illinois
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Patricia Mell Blagojevich
Children	Amy Blagojevich Anne Blagojevich
Residence	Ravenswood Manor, Chicago
Alma mater	Northwestern University Pepperdine University
Profession	Lawyer, Prosecutor

Milorad "Rod" R. Blagojevich (Template:PronEng , born December 10, 1956) is an American politician from the state of Illinois. A Democrat, Blagojevich currently serves as Governor of Illinois and previously represented parts of Chicago in the U.S. Congress. He is the second Serbian American to be elected governor of any state of the United States, after George Voinovich of Ohio.

Blagojevich was the first Democrat to be elected governor of Illinois in 30 years (since Daniel Walker in 1972). Blagojevich has struggled annually to pass legislation and budgets, often opposed by many members of his own party (which controls the Illinois General Assembly) who perennially disagree with him over budget and other issues. He has been the target of multiple federal investigations and has historically low approval ratings within Illinois; Rasmussen called him "America's Least Popular Governor."

On December 9, 2008, Blagojevich was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and with solicitation of bribery. The Justice Department complaint alleges that the governor conspired to commit several "pay-to-play" schemes, including attempting to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacated United States Senate seat to the highest bidder. As a result of the arrest, Blagojevich has faced calls for his resignation or impeachment and removal from office.

Personal information

Born Milorad Blagojević (Serbian Cyrillic: Милорад Благојевић), "Rod" (as he became known locally) was raised in Chicago's northwest side, and he was the second of two children. His father, Radisav, was an immigrant steel plant laborer from a village near Kragujevac, Serbia (then Yugoslavia). His mother, Mila Govedarica, is a Serb originally from Gacko, Bosnia and Herzegovina (then a part of Yugoslavia). His parents moved to Chicago in 1947. Blagojevich has a brother, Rob. Blagojevich spent much of his childhood working odd jobs to help the family pay its bills. He was a shoeshiner and pizza delivery boy before working at a meat packing plant. In order to afford university, Blagojevich worked for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System as a dishwasher.

Blagojevich is married to the former Patricia Mell, daughter of Chicago Alderman Richard Mell. The couple has two daughters, Amy and Anne. Anne was born just months after her father was sworn in as governor. His sister-in-law is Deb Mell, a gay rights activist who ran unopposed for the state house in 2008. Blagojevich does not have a middle name, but uses the initial "R." in honor of his deceased father.

Early life and education

Blagojevich, although a mediocre student, graduated from Chicago's Foreman High School after transferring from Lane Technical High School. He played basketball in high school and participated in two fights after training as a Golden Gloves boxer. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Tampa. After two years, he transferred to Northwestern University in suburban Evanston where he obtained his bachelor's degree in 1979. He obtained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1983. He later said of the experience: "I went to law school at a place called Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean--a lot of surfing and movie stars and all the rest. I barely knew where that law library was." Through his father-in-law's connections, Blagojevich clerked for Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak. Blagojevich then took a job as Cook County Assistant State's Attorney (assistant prosecutor) under State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, specializing in domestic abuse crimes and felony weapons cases.

Legislator

With the backing of his influential father-in-law, alderman Richard Mell, who used his connections to get 200 soldiers to campaign for him, Blagojevich won a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1992, against an entrenched incumbent. Most of his legislative accomplishments centered on crime and justice issues. He drew on his experiences as a prosecutor to draft bills that he argued would strengthen the state's judicial system and cut crime.

In 1996, Blagojevich gave up his seat in the state house to run in Illinois's 5th congressional district. The district had long been represented by the powerful Democrat, Daniel Rostenkowski, who served as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Rostenkowski was defeated for reelection in 1994 after pleading guilty to mail fraud, being succeeded by Republican Mike Flanagan. Blagojevich soundly defeated Flanagan with support from his father-in-law. He was elected two more times, taking 74 percent against a nominal Republican challenger in 1998 and facing only a Libertarian in 2000. In Congress, he continued to advocate "anti-crime measures", especially gun control legislation. He was not known as a particularly active congressman, but Blagojevich gained some prominence in the late 1990s when he traveled with Jesse Jackson to Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia to negotiate with President Slobodan Milošević for the release of American prisoners of war.

On October 10, 2002, Rod Blagojevich was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq. He was the only Democrat from Illinois to vote in favor of the Iraq War.

Gubernatorial campaigns

2002 election

See also: Illinois gubernatorial election, 2002

In 2002, Blagojevich ran for his party's nomination to become governor. Blagojevich won a close primary campaign against former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, whose base was largely African-American voters, and Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas, who ran well in the suburban "collar" counties of Chicago. Blagojevich finished strongly in downstate Illinois, winning 55% of the primary vote downstate, enough to win a primary victory by a thin margin.

During the primary, state Senator Barack Obama backed former Attorney General Burris, but supported Blagojevich after he won the primary at Burris' suggestion, serving as a "top adviser" for the general election. Future Obama senior adviser David Axelrod had previously worked with Blagojevich on Congressional campaigns, but did not consider Blagojevich ready to be governor and declined to work for him on this campaign. According to Rahm Emanuel, he, Barack Obama, Blagojevich's campaign co-chair David Wilhelm, and another Blagojevich staffer "were the top strategists of Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial victory," meeting weekly to outline campaign strategies. However, Wilhelm has said that Emanuel overstated Obama's role in the sessions, and Emanuel said in December 2008 that Wilhelm was correct and he had been wrong in his earlier 2008 recollection to The New Yorker.

In the general election, Blagojevich defeated Republican Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan. Blagojevich's campaign was helped by his connected father-in-law, Chicago alderman Richard Mell. Ethics scandals had plagued the previous administration of Republican George Ryan (no relation to Jim), and Blagojevich's campaign focused on the theme of "ending business as usual" in state government. Polls prior to the election found that many Illinois voters were confused about the names of George Ryan and Jim Ryan, a fact Blagojevich capitalized on. He asked, "How can you replace one Ryan with another Ryan and call that change? You want change? Elect a guy named Blagojevich." Blagojevich won with 52% of the vote over Jim Ryan. On election night, he said: “Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, Illinois has voted for change.”

2006 re-election

See also: Illinois gubernatorial election, 2006

Blagojevich (left) with Emil Jones (center) and Jeffrey Schoenberg (right) at the Illinois Executive Mansion for a luncheon after Barack Obama launched his 2008 campaign in 2007.

During 2005 to 2006, Blagojevich served as Federal Liaison for the Democratic Governors Association. Numerous scandals brought the Governor's approval rating as low as 36%, with 56% "disapproving" near the end of 2005.

By early 2006, five Republicans ran in the primary for the right to challenge him in the general election, with state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka eventually winning the nomination. Blagojevich formally launched his 2006 re-election campaign for Governor of Illinois on February 19, 2006. He won the Democratic primary on March 21 with 72% of the vote against challenger Edwin Eisendrath, whom Blagojevich would not debate. He convinced Democratic state senator James Meeks not to launch a third party run by saying that he would attempt to lease out the state lottery to provide education funding. Blagojevich was endorsed by many Democratic leaders (with the notable exception of Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who claimed it was a conflict of interest since her office was investigating Blagojevich), including then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who endorsed the governor in early 2005 and spoke on his behalf at the August 2006 Illinois State Fair. Blagojevich was also endorsed by the state's Sierra Club, the only Illinois governor ever endorsed by the organization. The union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees declined to endorse Blagojevich for re-election, citing the 500 jobs he cut from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which left some state parks unsupervised.

In the general election, Blagojevich defeated Topinka and the Green Party's Rich Whitney, outspending Topinka $27 million to $6 million. He attempted to tie Topinka to former Republican governor George Ryan's corruption. Topinka ran ads detailing Blagojevich's federal investigations and non-endorsements by major state Democrats such as Lisa Madigan. A three-term state treasurer, Topinka said that she had attempted to block Blagojevich from using money from special funds for general expenditures without approval of the legislature; she said Blagojevich used the funds for projects meant to distract voters from his associates' corruption trials: “This constant giving away of money … a million here, a million there, it raids our already hamstrung government and deadbeat state.” Topinka's spokesman claimed that Blagojevich was the "most investigated" governor in Illinois history. Topinka lost to Blagojevich by 11%.

Gubernatorial administration

After the 2002 elections, Democrats had control of the Illinois House, Senate, and all but one statewide office. Since taking office, Blagojevich has signed numerous pieces of progressive legislation such as ethics reform, death penalty reform, a state Earned Income Tax Credit, a statewide comprehensive smoking ban and expansions of health programs like KidCare and FamilyCare (the latter ruled unconstitutional); critics claimed that Blagojevich was benefiting from the publicity more than the programs were helping the public. Blagojevich signed a bill in 2005 that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. Blagojevich originally ran on a platform against pork barrel spending, but eventually used it himself to get more votes for bills.

During a suspected shortage of the flu vaccine in 2004, Blagojevich ordered 260,000 doses from overseas distributors, which the FDA had warned would be barred from entering the United States. Although the vaccine doses had cost the state $2.6 million, the FDA refused to allow them into the country, and a buyer could not be found; they were donated to earthquake survivors in Pakistan a year later. However, the lots had expired, and Pakistan destroyed the vaccines. After Blagojevich pushed for a law banning sales of certain video games to minors, a federal judge declared the law violated the First Amendment, with the state ordered to pay $520,000 in legal fees.

Blagojevich greets students at Illinois State University in 2006

Shortly after taking office in 2003, Blagojevich continued support of a "moratorium" on executions of death row inmates, even though no such executions are likely to occur for years (his predecessor, George Ryan, commuted all of the death sentences in the state shortly before leaving office in 2003). This support has continued through his administration.

Another notable action of his term was a strict new ethics law. When campaigning for re-election in 2006, Blagojevich said that if his ethics law had been in place when former governor George Ryan had been in office, Ryan's corruption might not have occurred. Blagojevich also signed a comprehensive death penalty reform bill that was written by now-President-elect Barack Obama (when he was serving as an Illinois State Senator) and the late U.S. Senator Paul M. Simon. Organized labor and African-Americans have become Blagojevich's staunchest political supporters. In 2008, he told a group of African-Americans that he sometimes considered himself the first African-American governor of Illinois.

Education

Despite an annual budget crunch, Blagojevich has overseen record increases in funding for education every year without raising general sales or income taxes. He has been criticized by Republicans and many moderate Democrats for using funds from the state pension system in order to fund other spending.

Another early 2006 proposal included "PreSchool for All" for all three- and four-year-old children in Illinois. Legislation authorizing the program was adopted as part of the fiscal year 2007 budget.

Proposed capital programs

On 10 January 2006, Blagojevich announced a proposal for a new $3 billion (US) spending plan for Illinois roads, mass transit, and schools, to be paid for by increased tax revenue and new gambling proposals (such as Keno and lottery games). The proposal met with immediate opposition by members of the Republican Party in Illinois and many Democrats, who viewed it as "an election year ploy." The suggestion to legalize Keno within Illinois was later withdrawn. As of 2008, Blagojevich had been unable to come to an agreement for five years in a row on a capital plan that would shore up Illinois infrastructure.

In March 2008, Blagojevich announced a bipartisan coalition, chaired by former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Former U.S. Congressman Glenn Poshard, to put together a capital construction package that could pass the Illinois General Assembly. The Illinois Works Coalition toured the state and put together a compromise $34 billion package that relied on a lease of the Illinois Lottery, road funds, and expanded gambling for funding. The plan passed the Senate but stalled in the Illinois House, with opposition from Democrats.

Special sessions

Blagojevich has called the Illinois General Assembly into special session 36 times since assuming office, which is half of the total number of special sessions called since 1970. The sessions have been blamed for disrupting lawmakers' time off, while Blagojevich did not attend the sessions.

Relationships with fellow lawmakers

Blagojevich has not gotten along with many state Democrats while in office, with House and Senate Republican leaders Frank Watson and Tom Cross often refereeing among the Democrats. In 2008, Blagojevich even expressed fear that House Democrats would gain more seats and he would face more opposition.

Blagojevich's lieutenant governor is Pat Quinn, with whom he has had a sour relationship since taking office. Quinn and Blagojevich have publicly argued, among many other subjects, the latter's proposed "Gross Receipts Tax" to increase revenue for schools and other projects within Illinois. Quinn said in December 2008 that he had last spoken to Blagojevich in the summer of 2007. Blagojevich has also feuded with Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Secretary of State Jesse White, and state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias-- who are all Democrats.

Blagojevich has been at odds with members of both parties in the state legislature who see him as "disengaged" and "dictatorial." Democratic legislator Jack Franks has said that the reason Blagojevich has problems passing laws with the cooperation of the Legislature is that he does not spend enough time with the Legislature. "That’s a real reason he has such poor relations with the Legislature and can’t get any of his agenda passed, because he doesn’t talk to anybody." When lawmakers working on a budget during a special session met at 10 a.m. rather than 2 p.m., and Blagojevich's attorney threatened that the Governor was considering legal action against the involved representatives, Democratic Rep. Joe Lyons told reporters, "We have a madman. The man is insane."

Blagojevich has had an ongoing feud "worthy of the Hatfields and McCoys" with Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, a fiscal conservative who resists Blagojevich's proposed increases in state spending. Madigan has become Blagojevich's chief nemesis, blocking numerous Blagojevich proposals. Illinois senior Senator Dick Durbin said in 2008 that he receives many constituent complaints about the dispute between Blagojevich and Madigan, with letter writers wanting him to step in to negotiate. Durbin said the subject is also often talked about in the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. among the Illinois congressional delegation. However, Durbin joked that he'd rather go to Baghdad to mediate than Springfield. At one point in 2007, Blagojevich filed a lawsuit against Madigan after Madigan instructed lawmakers to not attend one of Blagojevich's scheduled special sessions on the budget.

Although Barack Obama served as an adviser to Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial campaign, by all accounts, Blagojevich and Obama have been estranged for years. Blagojevich did not endorse Obama in his 2004 United States Senate race, and Obama did not extend an invitation to Blagojevich to speak at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, as he did Lisa Madigan, Hynes, and Giannoulias. Blagojevich has had a "friendly rapport" with the man who took over his congressional seat, Rahm Emanuel.

Blagojevich has also publicly disagreed with Democratic Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley; after their dispute over Chicago Transit Authority funding, Daley called Blagojevich "cuckoo" and said he didn't want to argue with the Governor since "He's arguing with everybody in America." Blagojevich replied, "I don't think I'm cuckoo."

Following a 2007 meeting with Democratic State Senator Mike Jacobs, meant to convince Jacobs to vote for Blagojevich's health insurance proposals, Jacobs emerged telling reporters that the Governor "blew up at him like a 10-year-old child," acted as if he might hit Jacobs, screamed obscenities at him and threatened to ruin his political career if Jacobs didn't vote for the bill. Jacobs said if Blagojevich had talked to him like that at a tavern in East Moline, "I would have kicked his tail end." Blagojevich would not comment on the alleged incident. Jacobs said in 2008: "This is a governor who I don't think has a single ally, except for Senate president Emil Jones— and that's tenuous at best." Jones and Blagojevich have sometimes collaborated, while at other times disagreeing on funding for education.

In a 2008 Congressional race pitting Democratic state senator Debbie Halvorson against Republican Marty Ozinga, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ran television ads attempting to help Halvorson by linking Republican Ozinga to Blagojevich, asserting that Ozinga had given campaign donations to the Democratic governor.

The Daily Show appearance

In early February 2006, Blagojevich appeared on The Daily Show to discuss his executive order that pharmacists must dispense any drugs for which a customer had a valid prescription, including birth control pills and Plan B. This controversial measure was being challenged on the show by state legislator Ron Stephens from Greenville. Blagojevich was interviewed by Jason Jones who repeatedly pretended to be unable to pronounce Blagojevich and simply called him "Governor Smith". This prompted Blagojevich to turn to the camera and ask "Is he teasing me or is that legit?" Two weeks after the interview, Blagojevich said that he was unaware of the nature of the show. Stephens said he knew beforehand that the show was a comedy show: "I thought the governor was hip enough that he would have known that, too."

Stephens later said, "With all due respect to the governor, he knew it was a comedy show. It's general knowledge for people under 90 years of age. It was when he came off looking so silly that he said he thought it was a regular news program. Even assuming he didn't know about it beforehand, we had to sign a release before the interview."

Approval ratings

As of October 13, 2008 (well before Blagojevich's arrest), an unprecedented 0% of Illinois voters rated him "excellent" in a Rasmussen poll, with 4% rating him "good", 29% "fair", and 64% "poor". Blagojevich ranks as "Least Popular Governor" in the nation according to Rasmussen Reports By the Numbers.

On October 23, 2008, the Chicago Tribune reported that Blagojevich suffered the lowest ratings ever recorded for an elected politician in nearly three decades of Chicago Tribune polls. The survey of 500 registered likely voters conducted showed that 10% wanted Blagojevich re-elected in 2010, while three-fourths said they didn't want him back for a third term. The survey also showed only 13% approved of Blagojevich's performance, while 71% disapproved. Only eight percent of the state's voters believe Blagojevich has lived up to his promise to end corruption in government. 60% of Democrats did not want him to serve another term in office, and 54% disapproved of the job he had done. Among independent voters, 83% disapproved of his performance and 85% of them rejected a Blagojevich third term. Blagojevich said in October 2008 that if he were running for re-election this year, he would win, and the economy, not his federal investigations, had caused his unpopularity.

In February 2008, Blagojevich's approval ratings had been, by various accounts, 16% to the low 20s, which is lower than those of President George W. Bush in Illinois.

Recently, due to the corruption scandal, his approval ratings have sunk to 7%.

Bank of America/Republic Windows & Doors

See also: Bank of America controversies § Plant Closing

Blagojevich threatened to halt the state’s dealings with Bank of America Corp. over a shut-down factory in Chicago. On December 8, 2008, all state agencies were ordered to stop doing business with Bank of America to pressure the company to make the loans. Blagojevich said the biggest U.S. retail bank won’t get any more state business unless it restores credit to Republic Windows and Doors, whose workers were staging a sit-in. Workers called Blagojevich's leadership heroic. Critics called Blagojevich's worker support dangerous.

Political positions

State spending

Blagojevich has been criticized for using what his opponents call "gimmicks" to balance the state budget. Republicans have also claimed that he is simply passing the state's fiscal problems on to future generations by borrowing his way to balanced budgets. Indeed, the 2005 state budget called for paying the bills by underfunding a state employees' pension fund by $1.2 billion. In 2008, Blagojevich proposed taking out $16 billion in new bonds for the state to meet pension fund requirements. Blagojevich once told a gathering of black ministers on Chicago's South Side that he was "on the side of our Lord" with his budget proposals.

Blagojevich proposed a 2008 budget with a 5% increase from the year before. Budget cuts in some areas led Blagojevich to attempt to close 11 state parks and 13 state historic sites, with his spokesman saying he had never visited any of them. To plug state budget holes in the past, Blagojevich has proposed selling the James R. Thompson Center or mortgaging it.

Additionally, Blagojevich has been criticized for his handling of the 2007 state budget. In particular, critics cited his unprecedented use of line-item and reduction vetoes to remove his political opponents' "member initiatives" from the budget bill.

In 2003, more than 1,000 Illinois judges began a class action lawsuit against Blagojevich, because Blagojevich had blocked legally required cost of living pay increases for the judges due to budget cuts. The case was settled in the judges' favor in 2005, with Blagojevich's veto ruled as violating the state's constitution.

Health care

Blagojevich with former Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) advocating for changes in Medicare legislation.

In October 2005, Blagojevich announced All Kids, his plan to provide access to state-subsidized healthcare for every child in Illinois. All Kids made Illinois the first state in the U.S. to attempt to provide universal healthcare for children, regardless of income and immigration status. In November 2005, Blagojevich signed the All Kids health insurance bill into law. The bill obligates Illinois to provide affordable, comprehensive health insurance to every child in the state.

In March 2007, Blagojevich unveiled and campaigned for his universal healthcare plan, Illinois Covered. The plan was debated in the Illinois State Senate, but came up one vote short of passing. He proposed to pay for the plan with the largest tax increase in Illinois history. He proposed a gross receipts tax on businesses, a $7.6 billion dollar tax increase, with proceeds earmarked to provide universal healthcare in Illinois, increase education spending by $1.5 billion, fund a $25 billion capital construction plan, and reduce the State's $40 billion pension debt. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan called for a vote on a non-binding resolution on whether the state should impose a gross receipts tax. When it became apparent that the resolution would be defeated, Blagojevich announced at the last minute that supporters should vote against it, although the vote was intended to be a test vote to gauge whether the measure had any support. The request was seen by many lawmakers from both parties as an attempt to spin the loss positively. It was defeated by a vote of 107-0, which the Associated Press termed "jaw-dropping." When asked about the vote of the day, Blagojevich said, "Today, I think, was basically an up. ... I feel good about it."

Blagojevich has also unsuccessfully attempted to impose a new employer tax on businesses that don't provide health insurance to their employees.

Lawmakers have not approved another initiative of Blagojevich's, FamilyCare (which would provide healthcare for families of four making up to $82,000), but Blagojevich attempted to implement the plan by executive order unilaterally. In rejecting Blagojevich's executive order, a legislative committee questioned how the state would pay for the program. Blagojevich's decision has been called unconstitutional by two courts, which nullified the plan. However, in October 2008, pharmacies which had followed Blagojevich's directive to dispense drugs under the plan were informed they would not be reimbursed and would have payments given under the system deducted from future Medicaid payments. One state lawmaker, Republican Ron Stephens, suggested that Blagojevich should pay the difference out of his own personal account. The Bloomington Pantagraph agreed with Stephens in an editorial.

Associated Press Freedom of Information Act attempts to find out how the state planned to pay for the Blagojevich-ordered program, how many people were enrolled, or how much the care had cost the state were refused the information by state departments.

Blagojevich issued an executive order in 2004 requiring pharmacists in the state to dispense "morning after" birth control medication, even if they object on moral or religious grounds. This order was not well received by some pharmacists. Later in 2007, opponents of the Governor's executive order reached a settlement with the state, causing partial removal of the order. The settlement, which followed the Illinois Supreme Court's decision in September 2007 to hear an appeal of a lawsuit challenging the executive order, allowed pharmacists to decline to dispense birth control, so long as they provided information to customers about pharmacists who did.

Gun control

In his February 2006 "State of the State" address, Blagojevich said the state should ban semi-automatic firearms, prompting threats from several gunmakers in the state that they will take their business elsewhere. Among these were ArmaLite Inc., Rock River Arms, Les Baer Custom and the Springfield Armory.

As a state legislator, Blagojevich tried to raise the price of an Illinois Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card from $5 to $500, saying that such a large increase was necessary so people would think twice about wanting to own a gun. Blagojevich vetoed three gun bills in 2005, which would have:

1. Deleted records in gun database after 90 days-- gun proponents argued that this was a privacy concern for law-abiding citizens
2. Eliminated the waiting period for someone wanting to buy a rifle or shotgun, when trading in a previously owned weapon
3. Overridden local laws regulating transport of firearms.

Blagojevich's position in regard to guns has been criticized by the Illinois State Rifle Association: "Rod should spend more time catching criminals and less time controlling guns." His support for tightening the gun laws of Illinois has earned him the ire of gun owners' groups.

Traffic laws

Blagojevich has striven to improve traffic safety. He proposed and signed into law a bill that was concerned with making seatbelt enforcement a primary offense (no traffic offense required before being stopped for a seatbelt violation). Another bill he signed allows the Illinois State Police to operate photo radar on Illinois Tollways in construction zones. He has vetoed a bill three times that would permit trucks to drive 65 mph instead of the current 55 mph.

Controversies

Although Blagojevich campaigned on a promise to end corruption in Illinois government, his administration has been plagued by controversies similar to those of his predecessor, George Ryan and a reputation for secrecy that has been noted by the Associated Press. To the surprise of many, Blagojevich said he agrees with the idea of commutating Ryan's federal prison sentence.

Feud with father-in-law

A major event of 2005 was Blagojevich's dispute with his father-in-law, Chicago Alderman Richard Mell. Although Blagojevich had been elected largely with Mell's help, the two had a contentious relationship since Blagojevich was elected governor; the feud went public in January 2005 when Blagojevich shut down a landfill owned by a distant cousin of his wife Patti for allegedly accepting waste it wasn't licensed to take, and it was revealed that Mell had served as an advisor to the cousin. A Cook County grand jury, as of 2008, is still investigating whether Blagojevich's administration overstepped authority in closing the landfill. Legislation was eventually passed giving the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency more authority over landfills and preventing relatives of top Illinois officials from owning landfills. Mell said that Blagojevich "used me" and that he "uses everybody and then discards them."

Regarding his decision to shut down the landfill despite the fact the landfill was owned by a relative, Blagojevich said, "This is the kind of thing that I think frankly separates the men from the boys in leadership. Do you have the testicular virility to make a decision like that knowing what's coming your way? I say I do." This remark was both ridiculed as an undignified comment for a governor as well as criticized for being sexist.

Mell said publicly at the time that a Blagojevich had traded state jobs for campaign contributions, but recanted after threat of a lawsuit.

Federal investigations

Since 2005, Blagojevich has been the subject of at least a dozen separate federal investigations, involving accusations against at least 14 other people, including Blagojevich's former fundraiser Tony Rezko. In 2006, Blagojevich said that he has been targeted for investigation by "scoundrels" due to the change he brought as governor, such as his ethics reform bill.

On December 30, 2005, it was reported that a leasing deal reached for occupants of the remodeled Illinois Tollway oasis had come under investigation by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Those who signed the fast food contracts were reported to be connected to Blagojevich campaign fundraising. This is in addition to other investigations in the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Children and Family Services.

On June 30, 2006, it was revealed that state Attorney General Lisa Madigan had received a letter from United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, stating that Fitzgerald is looking into "very serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" in the Blagojevich administration, and thanking Madigan for turning over her office's investigation to the federal authorities.

In September 2006, it was revealed that Blagojevich had accepted a $1,500 check from Mike Ascaridis, whom the governor described as one of his closest friends, in 2003. The check was given two weeks after Ascaridis' wife, Beverly, received a state job at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Beverly Ascaridis received this appointment despite having failed a state hiring exam. Blagojevich initially asserted that the check was written as a seventh birthday gift to his older daughter. He later said it was a gift for his younger daughter's christening. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the FBI are investigating the matter. In 2005, Beverly Ascaridis told investigators that she believed she had been hired in exchange for the check.

On October 2, 2006, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that a company that contributed close to $120,000 to Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial campaign won a no-bid contract. Even though the contract was awarded by the Illinois' Capital Development Board, the board still reports to the governor.

Tony Rezko indictment and trial

On October 11, 2006, Blagojevich and Barack Obama fundraisers and businessmen Antonin "Tony" Rezko and Stuart Levine were indicted for participation in a scheme to obtain kickbacks from investment firms seeking business from two state boards. Levine pleaded guilty two weeks later and agreed to testify against Rezko.

The governor's wife, Patricia Blagojevich, was a business partner of Rezko's for at least a decade. In 2004, she received over $38,000 in real estate commissions from him.

In October 2006, it was revealed that Patricia Blagojevich, a licensed real estate broker, earned $113,700 in commissions from Anita and Amrish Mahajan. These were the only commissions earned by Patricia Blagojevich that year. Anita Mahajan owns a urinalysis company that holds a no-bid contract with the state Department of Children and Family Services. Amrish Mahajan is president of a bank that has two requests pending before state regulators to acquire two out-of-state banks.

In December 2007, Blagojevich campaign boss Chris Kelly was indicted on federal charges of tax fraud. The charges against Kelly were not related to the governor or any political work. However, Kelly has been listed as a "co-schemer" in court filings related to the Rezko case. According to prosecutors, Kelly was involved in pressuring prospective state contractors for "finder's fees" or political contributions. At the time of Rezko's indictment, Blagojevich described his relationship with Kelly: "They're two different people, by the way, and it's a different relationship. Chris and I are much closer. Chris is the head of my political campaign. That's someone I talk to a lot more frequently."

Blagojevich was widely rumored to be the unnamed "Public Official A" mentioned in the Rezko indictment. The governor repeatedly denied that he was Public Official A, but on February 26, 2008, the judge in the case issued a ruling which confirmed his identity. A pretrial ruling in the case from U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve named the Blagojevich campaign and confirmed that Blagojevich was the intended beneficiary of at least one of Rezko's extortion attempts. Blagojevich was not charged in the indictment, although prosecutors have asserted in other court filings that he told a top Democratic fundraiser that he could steer contracts, legal work and investment banking in order to help with fundraising.

During the Rezko trial, Blagojevich's name came up frequently - first during testimony from Levine, who testified of Rezko's influence with the governor. Blagojevich was not charged in the case, but prosecutors sought to prove that his top advisers were involved in widespread kickback schemes. Levine mentioned Blagojevich by name at least 30 times in one day of testimony, and said under oath that the governor told him, "[Y]ou stick with us and you'll do very well for yourself". Levine took the comment to mean that there was money to be made if he did the administration's bidding. A Blagojevich spokesperson denied that the governor was involved in any illegal activity, saying "Stuart Levine's assertions about the governor are wrong. As we've said before, that's not how the governor does business."

On April 3, 2008, Levine testified that Blagojevich was aware of a shakedown involving businessman and movie producer Tom Rosenberg in 2004. Levine said that when Rosenberg threatened to go to the authorities over what he saw as an extortion attempt, Rezko and the governor worked out a "damage control" plan. Rosenberg would get the contract, but would get no further business from the state. Levine told the jury that Blagojevich approved of this plan and told Rezko that the contract was "the last thing that Mr. Rosenberg should get from the state". Blagojevich's office responded by again denying that any such conduct took place. "We don't endorse or allow the awarding of contracts based on campaign contributions. We never have. We never will." a spokesman for the governor said.

Joseph Cari, Jr., the former finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee, testified that Blagojevich was at one time attempting to form a national fundraising presence in hopes of a run for President of the United States. Cari said that the governor told him that "contracts, legal work, investment banking work and consulting work" would be awarded to "people who helped". The governor's office again issued a denial after Cari's testimony.

On June 4, 2008, Rezko was convicted on 16 of the 24 counts against him. Facing decades in federal prison, it became clear that Rezko could cut his prison time significantly if he were to cooperate in ongoing investigations of other public figures, potentially including Blagojevich. On October 9, 2008, Rezko's sentencing was delayed indefinitely as he and his lawyers continued to talk with prosecutors in an effort to work out a deal.

The first signs of Rezko's willingness to give information to the authorities came with the October 30, 2008 indictment of longtime Illinois power broker and Blagojevich fund-raiser William Cellini. Cellini was charged with conspiring with Rezko, Levine and others to award contracts with the state's Teachers Retirement System (TRS) to companies which made campaign contributions to the Blagojevich campaign. The alleged extortion of Rosenberg was one of the instances specifically mentioned in Cellini's indictment.

In early October 2008, reports surfaced that another federal investigation was being conducted into whether Rezko had paid for the $90,000 renovation of Blagojevich's Chicago home.

Appointments

In early 2006, after the appointment of Claudette Marie Muhammad, chief of protocol of the Nation of Islam, to the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, five Jewish members of this commission resigned. Muhammad distanced herself from statements subsequently made by Louis Farrakhan about "false Jews, wicked Jews," and Blagojevich has promised to "oversee meaningful dialogue with leaders of the Jewish, black and gay communities." Despite this, the Anti-Defamation League and anti-discrimination groups called for her removal from the state panel. The resignation or removal of fellow commission member Rick Garcia has also been called for by the Illinois Family Institute, over statements made by Garcia about Francis Cardinal George. Republican candidate for Governor Jim Oberweis echoed the call for Garcia's removal or resignation in an e-mail release as part of his campaign for the Illinois Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Talk of recall or impeachment

In October 2007, Illinois' largest newspaper, The Chicago Tribune, published an editorial encouraging passage of a Constitutional amendment that would allow the power of recalling state officials, specifically Blagojevich. The newspaper wrote that since Blagojevich would probably not resign and lawmakers probably would not impeach him, "So the realistic question becomes this: Given the multiple ineptitudes of Rod Blagojevich -- his reckless financial stewardship, his dictatorial antics, his penchant for creating political enemies -- should citizens create a new way to terminate a chief executive who won't, or can't, do his job?... Having endured the Blagojevich era, we believe voters never should have to endure another one like it. They instead should have the power to recall an inept governor." Recall legislation to put a question on the ballot in November 2008 passed the House, but not the Senate.

On April 22, 2008, the former head of the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA) became the first person to accuse Blagojevich of personally offering a position in his administration in return for campaign contributions. Ali Ata pleaded guilty to one count of tax fraud and one count of making false statements to federal authorities. In exchange for Ata's cooperation with the investigation, prosecutors dropped charges that he had used his IFA position to help Rezko sell his pizza franchises - a scheme for which Rezko was indicted separately from the bribery case. In the plea agreement, Ata admitted to meeting with Rezko several times regarding fundraising efforts for Blagojevich's campaign, and discussing the possibility of a position with a state agency in return for the contributions. He further stated that Blagojevich was present at one such meeting in 2002, in which Ata presented a $25,000 campaign contribution. According to the plea agreement, Blagojevich expressed his "pleasure" with Ata's fundraising and "asked Rezko if he (Rezko) had talked to the Defendant [Ata] about positions in the administration, and Rezko responded that he had". Ata was eventually appointed to the IFA post, and further admitted to giving Rezko about $125,000 in bribes before and after his appointment. Ata repeated these allegations on the witness stand at Rezko's trial. The governor's office issued another denial, and continued to deny that Blagojevich was "Public Official A", despite Judge St. Eve's earlier confirmation. Prosectors later said that Ata was also prepared to testify that Rezko sought and received a $25,000 bribe in 2002 which Rezko claimed would be used to pay for repairs to Blagojevich's home.

In the wake of Ata's guilty plea and accusations against Blagojevich, what had previously been only rumors of impeachment gained credibility when two State House Democrats told the Chicago Sun-Times that a decision on an impeachment resolution could be near. State representatives Jack Franks and John Fritchey said that the revelations made impeachment a real possibility. Fritchey, the representative from Blagojevich's home district in Chicago, explained that "We now find ourselves in a very different environment, where an individual has pled guilty to being a co-conspirator in transactions involving the governor." Previously, a Republican group had urged impeachment proceedings due to "near-criminal mismanagement of the state's finances".

On December 15, 2008, Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan announced that he was taking steps to initiate impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich.

$25,000 Club

In the midst of the Rezko trial, the Chicago Tribune reported on what it called a "$25,000 Club" in which 75% of businesses, unions and individuals that gave a $25,000 donation to Rod Blagojevich's political campaign received benefits from the State of Illinois, including state contracts and appointments to state boards.

Contributions from Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC

In July 2003, Friends of Blagojevich received a $10,000 campaign contribution from the Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC fund. In the same month three Union Officers received appointments to the Illinois Elevator Safety Board: (1) The President of Elevator Constructors Local 2 (Chicago) Stephen Hynes was appointed as the labor representative, (2) the Business Manager of Elevator Constructors Local 55 (Peoria) Roderick Gillis was appointed as a representative of a municipality with a population under 25,000 and (3) Local 2 Business Manager and Elevator Constructors Vice President Frank J. Christensen was appointed as Chairman of the Illinois Elevator Safety Board by Governor Blagojevich. Christensen was eligible to serve as Chair because he was also appointed as a representative of a municipality between 25,000 and 50,000. Christensen is a resident of Tinley Park, IL that had a population of 48,401 in the official 2000 census. Critics challenged his eligibility because at the time of Christensen's appointment in 2003, the village of Tinley Park had a population in excess of 53,000. Christensen and the Business Manager of Elevator Constructors Local 55, Roderick Gillis were reappointed to their same board positions in 2007 by Governor Blagojevich. Tinley Park's population was in excess of 58,000 in 2007.

WBBM-TV in Chicago reported on March 4, 2008 that the Safety Board appointments are expected to come up at the Rezko trial. On March 8, 2008, the Department of Justice released more court documents showing Rezko's ties to Blagojevich administration fundraising. Included in the ten page document, it reveals the July 23, 2003; $10,000 Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC fund contribution went through Tony Rezko on July 24, 2003 and deposited into Blagojevich's coffers on July 25, 2003.

Residency, commute, and work hours

As Governor of Illinois, Blagojevich is entitled to live in the Illinois Executive Mansion, located in the state capital of Springfield. However, he and his family have opted to remain in the Ravenswood Manor neighborhood on Chicago's Northside. Blagojevich cited an unwillingness to move his older daughter away from home, and a Chicago Sun-Times columnist speculated that another reason might be Blagojevich's wife's Chicago real estate business. As Springfield state agencies became populated with workers who commuted from Chicago during the week, and the Blagojevich family shunned the use of the Mansion even for one-night stays, onlookers have written that Blagojevich "disdains" Springfield and that Blagojevich "ignored" southern Illinois "more than any governor in Illinois history." Past governors have lived in Springfield or have at least stayed there during legislative sessions, while Blagojevich stayed in Chicago during legislative sessions. He has spent little time at the Illinois State Capitol. The decision not to live in the governor's mansion "offended many Illinoisans" and "infuriated just about every legislator"; Blagojevich also upset many by canceling the annual Halloween trick-or-treating at the mansion.

During July and part of August 2007, Illinois lawmakers were in a deadlock over approving a state budget. In light of this, Blagojevich faced "immense" criticism for choosing to take daily commutes between Chicago and Springfield rather than stay in Springfield. The round trip on a state plane costs nearly $6,000, and Blagojevich made the trip nine times during the 2007 budget crisis between May 22 and June 7, costing Illinois taxpayers more than $75,000 according to state transportation records. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that a commercial round-trip flight between Springfield and Chicago can be had on short notice for between $500 and $700. State senator Chris Lauzen, head of the legislature's audit committee, noted that the cost was more than a teacher's annual salary. After ridicule from lawmakers, voters, and editorial cartoonists, Blagojevich stopped the daily flights home. In December 2007, the Associated Press released an analysis of Blagojevich's 2007 state travel and found that $225,000 of it had been for personal reasons, rather than official business.

During the budget crisis, Blagojevich had criticized state lawmakers for not working five days a week, with his spokeswoman saying, "Everyone in America works five days a week and is expected to put in full-time work in order to complete their jobs" on June 4. Travel records showed that Blagojevich had flown into Springfield in May and June an average of three days a week, arriving about noon and sometimes staying for as little as three hours before returning to Chicago, less than 200 hours in total during the three months. Blagojevich was criticized by even Democratic lawmakers for what they saw as hypocrisy. Rep. John Fritchey called Blagojevich's criticism "tantamount to lunacy" once his own work schedule was examined, and Fritchey also raised the issue of Blagojevich's lack of time spent in his Chicago office in the James R. Thompson Center, saying: "He governs out of his house or out of his campaign office. That's an odd way to govern." In November 2007, Chicago television station WBBM-TV watched Blagojevich's home during normal business hours, "repeatedly finding the governor at home during normal business hours with no one other than his family coming and going.” Former employees assert that Blagojevich does not appear at his Chicago office that often.

Federal arrest on corruption charges

Main article: Rod Blagojevich corruption charges

At 6:15 a.m. on December 9, 2008, FBI special agents arrested Blagojevich and John Harris, the governor's chief of staff. After the simultaneous arrest at their homes, they were transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago. According to a criminal complaint filed in US District Court, Blagojevich is accused of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, as well as soliciting bribes. It is specifically alleged that he attempted to benefit financially from his sole authority to fill the US Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. The complaint alleged that Blagojevich went on a profanity-laced tirade, saying that the Senate seat "is a ... valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing". The affidavit says that in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich sought to be appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Energy, or ambassador, or alternatively, that he could receive a lucrative job offer from a union in return for designating a pro-union appointee. He allegedly also mentioned corporate boards his wife could be appointed to, for which she could receive $150,000 a year compensation. If he could receive nothing for the seat, the indictment says, Blagojevich considered appointing himself, to position himself for a 2016 presidential run and to give himself increased resources to mount any potential legal defense.

Other allegations included in the 78-page criminal complaint include several of the schemes outlined during Rezko's trial. Patrick Fitzgerald, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, described the corruption as "the most staggering crime spree in office I have ever seen." In addition, federal investigators alleged that Blagojevich pressured the Tribune Company, parent company of the Chicago Tribune, by threatening to withhold state funds in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field unless they fired certain members of the editorial board who were critical of the governor. Federal authorities obtained recordings of Blagojevich and others after wiretapping the governor's residential phones and campaign offices, in addition to conversations recorded with the help of one of Blagojevich's closest friends, John Wyma. Fitzgerald read incriminating quotations from wiretap transcripts at a press conference held on December 9, 2008, in which he said Blagojevich engaged in a "political corruption crime spree" that "has taken us to a truly new low... We acted to stop that crime spree." Blagojevich was released on his own recognizance on bond of $4,500 after appearing before a US Magistrate. Blagojevich and Harris surrendered their passports. So far at least two of the Senate Candidates mentioned in transcripts have been revealed, Jesse Jackson Jr for Blagojevich, and Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General. Neither is accused of any wrongdoing. Federal authorities have named Jackson as the candidate who was alleged as sending an "emissary" to offer Blagojevich $500,000 in campaign contributions in return for the US Senate seat. Jackson denied the claim, stating, "I never sent a message or an emissary to the governor to make an offer, to plead my case or to propose a deal about a U.S. Senate seat, period."

Following Blagojevich's arrest, he faced calls from members of both parties to resign. Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn said in a news conference that the possibility of stepping aside "should certainly be considered by the governor today. I think he knows what he needs to do for the people." The following day, Quinn went further, stating "This is a crisis of confidence of people in their government in a democracy... The governor has to resign, or at the very least step aside." The state's other top elected officials--Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Secretary of State Jesse White--have also called for Blagojevich to resign.

On December 10, Obama issued a statement calling for Blagojevich's resignation. He reiterated this in a press conference the next day, saying that he does not think Blagojevich "can effectively serve the people of Illinois" and that his former Senate seat "belongs to the people." He also stated that to his knowledge, "no representatives of mine" had engaged in any dealmaking with the governor.

Leaders of both the state house and state senate are considering a special session in order to strip Blagojevich of his power to appoint a replacement for Obama. There is also growing support for impeaching the governor and removing him from office as well.

On December 10, all 50 remaining Senate Democrats signed a letter calling for Blagojevich to resign and demanding that he not appoint a replacement for Obama. The letter also said that if Blagojevich did appoint a successor, "we would be forced to exercise our Constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated"--seemingly indicating that any Blagojevich-appointed replacement would not be allowed to serve. Earlier, Illinois' remaining Senator, Majority Whip Dick Durbin, urged the state legislature to quickly set a special election to fill Obama's vacant Senate seat, saying that any appointment by Blagojevich would not be legitimate. On December 12, Madigan filed a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court seeking Blagojevich's temporary removal from office (i.e. removal of his powers & duties of office) and naming Quinn acting governor. Failing that, Madigan sought a temporary injunction barring Blagojevich from appointing a replacement for Obama. She had originally said she would only go to the Supreme Court as a last resort if the General Assembly failed to impeach the governor. However, she said in a press conference that she felt the federal charges were too severe to wait for the legislature to act. On December 15, the Illinois House voted 113-0 to begin impeachment proceedings.

When asked about the federal investigation the day before his arrest, Blagojevich said there was "nothing but sunshine hanging over me" and that "whatever I say is always lawful and the things I'm interested in are always lawful."

Children's Memorial Hospital funds

According to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Blagojevich threatened to revoke funds to Children's Memorial Hospital after its chief executive officer did not give a $50,000 contribution to the governor's campaign.

On October 8, 2008, Blagojevich told a person described only as "Individual A" that he was willing to provide $8 million to Children's Memorial Hospital but only on the condition that he "get [Hospital Executive 1] for 50." Individual A thought Blagojevich was referring to a $50,000 campaign contribution from the hospital's chief executive officer and that the $8 million referred to a recent commitment by Blagojevich to secure state funds via "some type of pediatric care reimbursement." According to an affidavit regarding Blagojevich's corruption charges:

"Intercepted phone conversations between Rod Blagojevich and others indicate that Rod Blagojevich is contemplating revoking his state funds to Children's Memorial Hospital because Hospital Executive 1 has not made a recent campaign contribution".

Electoral history

2002 gubernatorial election, Illinois

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Rod Blagojevich	1,818,823	52.0	+4.5
	Republican	Jim Ryan	1,582,604	45.2	−5.8
	Libertarian	Cal Skinner	73,404	2.1	+2.1
	Independent	Marisellis Brown	22,803	0.7	+0.7
Majority			236,219	6.8
Turnout			3,497,634
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

2006 gubernatorial election, Illinois

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Rod Blagojevich (incumbent)	1,736,219	49.8	−2.2
	Republican	Judy Baar Topinka	1,368,682	39.3	−5.9
	Green	Rich Whitney	361,163	10.4	+10.4
	Constitution	Randy Stufflebeam (Write-in)	19,020	0.5	+0.5
		Other Write-ins	1,587	0.0	n/a
Majority			367,537	10.5
Turnout			3,486,671
	Democratic hold		Swing

External links

• Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich official state site
• Rod for Illinois campaign website

• Follow the Money - Rod Blagojevich
  • 2008 2006 2004 2002 campaign contributions (Governor)
  • 1996 campaign contributions (U.S. House)

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris Arrested on Federal Corruption Charges Department of Justice, December 9, 2008, press release
• United States District Court: United States of America v. Rod R. Blagojevich and John Harris, December 9, 2008, copy of 76-page complaint (text version)
• People of the State of Illinois v. Rod Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois brief, Motion for TRO, Supporting Record TRO
• Gov. Blagojevich Chicago Sun-Times, ongoing coverage
• Complete Blagojevich Coverage Chicago Tribune, ongoing coverage

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