Blagojevich deflects scandal to win re-election

By CHRISTOPHER WILLS

The Associated Press

CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich persuaded Illinois voters to put aside any doubts about his honesty Tuesday and give him the chance to tackle an ambitious second-term agenda.

His optimistic message -- coupled with millions of dollars worth of negative ads -- overwhelmed Republican Judy Baar Topinka's efforts to focus on federal investigations of the Blagojevich administration and the state's financial problems.

Now the Democratic governor will face the challenge of trying to make good on promises to ban assault weapons, provide universal health care, raise the minimum wage and come up with more school money by privatizing the state lottery.

Blagojevich says he can do all that, and meet the fast-growing cost of providing medical care and government pensions, without raising income or sales taxes.

"Strap on your seat belts, put on your helmet, get ready to roll," Blagojevich told a cheering crowd. "We've got a lot more work to do."

With 7,761 of 11,692 precincts counted in unofficial returns, Blagojevich had 50 percent, or 1,102,279 votes, to 40 percent or 883,688 for Topinka. Green Party candidate Rich Whitney had 11 percent, or 237,368 votes.

Exit polling found that 86 percent of voters considered corruption and ethics "extremely" or "very important" in their vote for governor. Blagojevich got the support of about half those voters, while Topinka got only 4 in 10.

Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has said he is investigating "very serious" allegations of hiring fraud at multiple agencies under Blagojevich. One Blagojevich appointee has pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme, and a top-level Blagojevich friend and fundraiser has been indicted.

Blagojevich accepted a $1,500 gift from a friend after the man's wife received a state job. Blagojevich's wife, a real estate agent, has made thousands of dollars working with the indicted fundraiser and a couple whose businesses depend on decisions by the Blagojevich administration.

Neither Blagojevich has been charged with any crime.

Blagojevich's strong performance despite his ethics problems may reflect his success in portraying Topinka as an extension of former Republican Gov. George Ryan, who faces six years in prison on federal corruption charges.

"Basically, voters got the message that you can vote for Corrupt Person A or Corrupt Person B," said Cynthia Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "It's not that they didn't care. It's that they didn't see a vehicle for change."

Troy Woodtke was one of those voters.

"Unfortunately, we have a choice of bad or worse. But there's no way I'd vote for Topinka," said Woodtke, a 32-year-old environmental engineer from Oak Park who reluctantly backed Blagojevich.

Blagojevich, 49, becomes the first Democrat to win back-to-back terms as Illinois governor since Otto Kerner in 1964.

"This is a historic achievement, and I think it gives us the foundation to really push forward reforms for health care and education that will last generations," said Blagojevich's running mate, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.

Blagojevich will have a Democrat-controlled Legislature to work with, as he did in his first term. That sometimes proved to be a mixed blessing, with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones clashing with the governor.

Blagojevich's win, coupled with the possibility of a Democratic sweep of every statewide office, is another body blow for the Illinois Republican Party.

The GOP has already seen Ryan's conviction, a drubbing in statewide races four years ago and a disastrous 2004 U.S. Senate race in which one candidate withdrew amid a sex scandal and the crushing defeat of a conservative commentator brought in from Maryland.

While Blagojevich and Topinka bickered, Whitney offered himself as a fresh alternative with big ideas. He appeared to have the 5 percent of the vote needed to make the Green Party an "established" party, making it much easier to qualify for the next ballot.

Blagojevich had nearly $17 million to spend on his campaign. Topinka, the three-term state treasurer, had only $6 million, making it far more difficult to reach voters with her message about Blagojevich's performance.

She wanted voters to remember that, despite the governor's claims of a balanced budget, the state still is far behind in paying Medicaid bills and couldn't afford to make its normal pension payments this year and last.

Topinka argued that Blagojevich cut jobs to the point of endangering important services, particularly at the Department of Corrections, and said his education and health care programs are empty promises the state can't afford to fulfill.