How long has Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich been in power?
He has been in office since 1997. First as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1997 to 2003, and as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003. 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 FBI agents and charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as well as 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
