By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
Springfield, IL – The Illinois State Senate has voted to remove Governor Rod Blagojevich from office.
He is the 8th governor in the history of the United States, and the first from Illinois, to be impeached and convicted.
The Senate also voted to bar Blagojevich from ever holding elected office in the state again.
During deliberations that lasted for nearly two hours, Senators decried the governor's last-minute closing statement in which he continued to rail against the impeachment trial, calling it a kangaroo court.
In his first statement as Governor, Pat Quinn said the problems facing the state, including a $3 billion budget deficit, demand honest leadership and sacrifice from individuals. But he said, "we can achieve great things in the Land of Lincoln."
And the chair of the Illinois Republican Party says Democrats need to apologize for not acting to oust Blagojevich before he was lead away in handcuffs.