Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 2nd congressional district from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party,he is the son of activist and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson and,prior to his career in elected office,worked for his father in both the elder Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign and his social justice,civil rights and political activism organization,Operation PUSH. Jackson's then-wife,Sandi Jackson,served on the Chicago City Council. He served as a national co-chairman of the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign. Jackson established a consistent liberal record on both social and fiscal issues,and he has co-authored books on civil rights and personal finance.
Rod R. Blagojevich,often referred to by his nickname "Blago",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.
Lisa Murray Madigan is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party,she served as Attorney General of the U.S. state of Illinois from 2003 to 2019,being the first woman to hold that position. She is the adopted daughter of Michael Madigan,who served as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2021.
Patrick Joseph Quinn Jr. is an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Illinois from 2009 to 2015. A Democrat,Quinn began his career as an activist by founding the Coalition for Political Honesty. He was elected lieutenant governor in 2002 and served under governor Rod Blagojevich. After Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office in 2009,Quinn assumed the governorship. He secured a full term in office in the 2010 gubernatorial election,but lost his bid for a second term in the 2014 gubernatorial election to his opponent Bruce Rauner.
Roland Wallace Burris is an American retired Democratic politician and attorney who served as Attorney General of Illinois from 1991 to 1995. In January 2009,he was appointed a United States Senator,succeeding Barack Obama,who resigned to become president of the United States. Burris held this position until November 2010,retiring from front-line politics shortly after.
Alexander Giannoulias is an American financier and politician who is the Secretary of State of Illinois. He previously served as the 72nd Illinois Treasurer from 2007 to 2011.
Nancy Erickson is an American political aide who served as the 32nd Secretary of the United States Senate from 2007 to 2015. She began her term as Secretary on January 4,2007,in the 110th Congress. Erickson was appointed by Democratic and Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Deborah L. Halvorson is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 11th congressional district from 2009 until 2011. Previously,she served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 through 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In September 2011,she filed to run in the newly redistricted 2nd congressional district but was defeated in the Democratic primary by the incumbent,Jesse Jackson Jr.
Ron Stephens is a former Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives,representing the 102nd district from 1985 to 1991,and from 1993 until 2011 when he announced his retirement. The district includes portions of Bond County,Madison County,Effingham County,Fayette County and St. Clair County. He was the Assistant Republican Leader in the state House until his retirement.
Tom Cross is an American lawyer and former Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives where he served from 1993 to 2015. He served as House Minority Leader from January 2002 to August 2013,when he resigned to run for Illinois Treasurer.
The 2002 Illinois gubernatorial election occurred on November 5,2002. Incumbent Republican governor George Ryan,who was plagued by scandal,did not run for a second term. Democrat Rod Blagojevich,a U.S. Congressman,ran against Republican Jim Ryan,the Illinois Attorney General. Blagojevich won 52% to 45%,becoming the first Democrat to win an election for governor since 1972.
The 2010 United States Senate elections in Illinois took place on November 2,2010. There were two ballot items for the same seat:a general election,to fill the Class 3 seat beginning with the 112th United States Congress beginning on January 3,2011,and a special election,to fill that seat for the final weeks of the 111th Congress. Roland Burris,who was appointed to fill the vacancy created by fellow Democrat Barack Obama's election to the presidency,did not run in either election.
The presidential transition of Barack Obama began when he won the United States presidential election on November 4,2008,and became the president-elect. Obama was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 15,2008. The results were certified by a joint session of Congress on January 8,2009,and the transition ended when Obama was inaugurated on January 20,2009.
In December 2008,then-Democratic Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. As a result,Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois General Assembly and removed from office by the Illinois Senate in January 2009. The federal investigation continued after his removal from office,and he was indicted on corruption charges in April of that year. The jury found Blagojevich guilty in August 2010 of one charge of making false statements with a mistrial being declared on the other 23 counts due to a hung jury after 14 days of jury deliberation. On June 27,2011,after a retrial,Blagojevich was found guilty of 17 charges,not guilty on one charge and the jury deadlocked after 10 days of deliberation on the two remaining charges. On December 7,2011,Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Both houses of the United States Congress have refused to seat new members based on Article I,Section 5 of the United States Constitution which states that:
"Each House shall be the judge of the elections,returns and qualifications of its own members,and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business;but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day,and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members,in such manner,and under such penalties as each House may provide."
A number of controversies related to Rod Blagojevich,formerly the Governor of Illinois,were covered in the press during and after his administration. In addition to a reputation for secrecy that was noted by the Associated Press,Blagojevich was the subject of political,legal,and personal controversies similar to those of his predecessor,Republican Governor George Ryan. To the surprise of many,Blagojevich said in 2008 that he agreed with the idea of commuting Ryan's federal prison sentence.
David H. Hoffman is a former federal prosecutor and was Chicago's inspector general. Hoffman ran for the Illinois seat of the U.S. Senate in 2010 but lost to Alexi Giannoulias in the Democratic primary.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday,November 2,2010. Primary elections were held on February 2,2010.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Illinois on November 4,2014. All of Illinois' executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat,and all of Illinois' eighteen seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on March 18,2014.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday,November 5,2002. Primary elections were held on March 19,2002.
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