Blagojevich Arrested

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich (D) was arrested on corruption charges.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on criminal charges on Tuesday, including trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat President-elect Barack Obama, federal prosecutors said.

Blagojevich was also accused of threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of the Chicago Cubs' baseball home Wrigley Field "to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical" of him.

Blagojevich is hugely unpopular in Illinois and his arrest might actually be a blessing for the Democrats. He has been under investiagtion for a while and the longer he stayed in office, the more his shadow hung over the party. Moreover, the replacement for Obama's seat may escape the taint of having been appointed by Blagojevich (if this is prevented by the state legislature or by the Governor's resignation). Illinois Democrats could face a backlash like the Ohio Republicans (after Taft's scandals) but the severity of the backlash may be mitigated due to public and frequent feuds between the governor and the legislature, and the state of disarray of the IL Republicans.