In the general election, Blagojevich defeated RepublicanIllinois Attorney GeneralJim Ryan by a solid margin. Ethics scandals had plagued the previous administration of Republican George Ryan, who had no relation to Jim, and Blagojevich's campaign focused on the theme of "ending business as usual" in state government. During the campaign, Blagojevich played on the name of his opponent by asking "How can you replace one Ryan with another Ryan and call that change? You want change? Elect a guy named Blagojevich."[2]
Results
Although the election was thought to be a close one early on in the campaign, Blagojevich's big numbers out of Cook County, was too much for the Republicans to come back from.
