This sale has become linked to the corruption charges leading to the December 9, 2008, arrest of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Illinois later had several indictments, including that of former Republican Governor George Ryan, who has since been convicted of several criminal abuses of authority, and Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.

Since 2008 Gutiérrez has been the subject of several critical stories in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, detailing his relationship with former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and the real estate dealings of Gutierrez and his family.

Madigan has also had a strained relationship with former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, due at least in part to her father Michael Madigan's ongoing feud with Blagojevich.

Many observers expected the race to be close, especially considering the polling, which has shown Governor Blagojevich had a high disapproval rating.

Mell's other daughter, Deb Mell, is a lesbian who has encouraged Blagojevich to support same-sex marriage and who was elected to the state house of representatives in 2008.

He has feuded with other Democratic leaders since 2002when Democrats took control of all branches of the state governmentmost notably Governor Rod Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones.

He has named members of the Illinois House of Representatives to a special committee charged with investigating whether Governor Blagojevich engaged in conduct, including the Rod Blagojevich corruption charges, that should be subject to possible impeachment charges the House can bring.

I think one of the problems is the Governor did sort of seal himself off from all the statewide officials ... Attorney General Madigan and myself and many others ..." Quinn has stated that his relationship with Blagojevich has been estranged at best, pointing out that Blagojevich officially announced that Quinn was not part of his administration in 2006.

Further, another food vendor operating in all seven oases who donated to Blagojevich has also received press attention for failure to pay sales taxes and state unemployment insurance.

Blagojevich has been criticized for too rapidly expanding the role of state government.

* Sam Adam Jr. ( 1991 ) is a prominent lawyer who has defended high-profile clients such as R. Kelly in his child pornography trial and Rod Blagojevich against corruption charges.

The current Governor of Illinois is Pat Quinn, a Democrat who became governor upon the vote of the Illinois Senate to remove Rod Blagojevich from office, and then was elected to a full term in 2010.

In 2008, the handle of a pool cleaner was erected by 18-year-old student, Mike Tennenhouse, who along with then Governor Rod Blagojevich began " airing grievances " on behalf of the people of Illinois.

Rod Blagojevich ( born December 10, 1956 ) is an American former politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009.

On August 12, 2009, John Mitola, who was appointed the ISTHA Board Chairman in 2003 by Governor Blagojevich, resigned for personal reasons.

Peraica's argument was seconded by then-Governor Rod Blagojevich, who expressed his opposition to the plan.

On the show he became friends with Patti Blagojevich who is the wife of Rod Blagojevich.

In June 2005, Mell served as honorary co-chairman of an event for State Representative Jack Franks, a longtime Blagojevich critic who had been rumored as a possible primary challenger to the Governor.

" It's sort of the classic case that you get a guy ( Madigan ) who is steeped in discipline versus a guy who's very undisciplined, like Blagojevich.

In August 2008, Blagojevich claimed that House Democrats who held City of Chicago jobs were fearful of voting in favor of his 2008 capital bill because they thought Madigan might be able to get them fired.

'" The one state legislator who works at the Streets and Sanitation Department in Chicago is Rich Bradley, who told the Chicago Sun-Times that he hadn't talked to Blagojevich in about two years.

Unlike Blagojevich, who continued to live in his Ravenswood, Chicago home while commuting via state plane to Springfield and preferred to execute his gubernatorial duties from within his home and, less commonly, the Governor's office in Chicago's Thompson Center, Quinn moved into the Illinois Executive Mansion in Springfield, saying it would be an honor to live " in the people's house ".

After arriving at the famous Cubs baseball stadium, Wrigley Field, on July 1, Holden, who was joined by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich during the final steps of his walk, threw that day's symbolic first pitch to Kerry Wood, as the Cubs played the Washington Nationals.

In order to afford university costs, Blagojevich worked for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System as a dishwasher.

Blagojevich claims to have based this on Rains ' educational background, but she had worked for the department for 24 years with no record of a problem ; one observer called the fallout " nuclear war.

* 2008 – The Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is arrested by federal officials for a number of crimes including attempting to sell the United States Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama's election to the Presidency.

Daley and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich held a joint press conference on January 17, 2006 calling for a state-wide ban on the manufacture, possession, and delivery of semiautomatic assault weapons.

Although the Tribune criticized the Bush administration's record on civil liberties, the environment, and many aspects of its foreign policy, it continued to support his presidency while taking Democrats, such as Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, to task and calling for their removal from office.

with Seth and Amy ", involved Seth and Amy lambasting celebrities ( for example Alberto Gonzales, Larry Craig, Eliot Spitzer, Rod Blagojevich, or Michael Vick ) for lack of common sense.

Burris was appointed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in December 2008 to fill Obama's seat for the remaining two years of his senate term.

As a result, on January 9, 2009, the Illinois House of Representatives voted by a 114 – 1 vote to impeach Blagojevich for corruption and misconduct in office.

In a separate and also unanimous vote, Blagojevich was banned for life from holding public office in the State of Illinois.

While the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune both endorsed Flanagan for reelection in 1996, he was regarded as a heavy underdog against the Democratic challenger, State Representative Rod Blagojevich.

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attended UT for two years.

In January 2009, Governor Blagojevich was impeached, tried, and removed from office for abuse of power, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said, " These kinds of games teach kids to do the very things that in real life, we put people in jail for.

* Roland Burris: Given on January 9, 2009, for his efforts to retain his seat, which was appointed controversially by Rod Blagojevich.

* Rod Blagojevich is a former Governor of Illinois ( attended for a short time before transferring ).

The Governor of Illinois, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, won re-election for a four-year term scheduled to have ended on January 10, 2011.

Blagojevich initially had the advantage in the general election, leading his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka by eight percentage points in polls, although not reaching the fifty percent " safe zone " for incumbents.

However, in 2005, Blagojevich and Mell had a public feud when Blagojevich shut down a landfill owned by a distant cousin of Patricia Blagojevich for environmental problems.

Madigan and Blagojevich have clashed over Blagojevich's proposals for increased state spending.

Blagojevich blamed the 2007 budget crisis on Madigan, releasing a statement that said, " The way to be able to finally get budgets that achieve the objective of health care and education for families is to get Mr. Madigan to be a Democrat again and stop being a George Bush Republican.