Rod Blagojevich | |
|---|---|
 Official Congressional Portrait, c. 1997–2003 | |
| 40th Governor of Illinois | |
| In office January 13, 2003 – January 29, 2009 | |
| Lieutenant | Pat Quinn |
| Preceded by | George Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Pat Quinn |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Flanagan |
| Succeeded by | Rahm Emanuel |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 33rd district | |
| In office January 6, 1993 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Myron Kulas |
| Succeeded by | John Fritchey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 10, 1956 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Criminal information | |
| Criminal status |
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| Conviction(s) |
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| Criminal penalty | Served nearly 8 years of a 14 year sentence; commuted |
Rod R. Blagojevich (/bləˈɡɔɪ.əvɪtʃ/ blə-GOY-ə-vitch; born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nickname "Blago",[2][3] is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. He was impeached, removed from office, convicted, and incarcerated for eight years on federal charges of public corruption. A member of the Democratic Party, Blagojevich previously worked in both the state and federal legislatures. He served as an Illinois state representative from 1993 to 1997, and the U.S. representative from Illinois's 5th district from 1997 to 2003.
Born and raised in Chicago, Blagojevich graduated from Northwestern University in 1979 and the Pepperdine University School of Law in 1983. After graduating, he became a criminal prosecutor at the Cook County State's Attorney Office during the late 1980s. Turning to elective politics, he represented the 33rd state house district in the Illinois House of Representatives where he supported mostly law and order policies. Forgoing a third two-year term in the state legislature, he represented Illinois's 5th congressional district for six years, winning re-election twice. He was elected Illinois governor in 2002, the first Democrat to win the office since 1972. There was increased public education funding, infrastructure development, and criminal justice reforms during his first term.
His 2006 reelection to a second term led to the passage of a variety of healthcare, gun control, and antidiscrimination bills. Starting in December 2008, a federal investigation and trial found Blagojevich guilty of public corruption after he attempted to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama upon his election to the presidency. Blagojevich was impeached, convicted, and removed from office in 2009 by the Illinois General Assembly. He was also subsequently barred by the Illinois Senate from holding public office within the state ever again. For his role in the corruption scandal, Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. After an appeal for his release, President Donald Trump formally commuted his sentence in 2020, after Blagojevich had been imprisoned for nearly eight years.[4][5] From May 2020 to September 2021, Blagojevich hosted a politics-themed radio program called The Lightning Rod on WLS-AM, he is an active supporter of the Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign, and attended the Republican National Convention.[6][7]
- ^ "List of Blagojevich convictions, max sentences". Journal Star. December 6, 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
associated press2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
DailySouthtownwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Commutationwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Sweet, Lynn; Seidel, Jon; Sneed, Michael (February 18, 2020). "Trump commutes prison sentence of disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich". Chicago Sun-Times.
U.S. District Judge James Zagel gave Blagojevich 14 years, putting him on track for release in March 2024.
- ^ Staff • •, NBC Chicago (July 17, 2024). "Rod Blagojevich attends RNC to show support for Donald Trump". NBC Chicago. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ Marzano • •, Peter (May 30, 2024). "Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich shows support for Trump after guilty verdict". NBC Chicago. Retrieved November 1, 2024.