The promise is eerily similar to the one Blagojevich made about six years ago, when he took over from GOP Gov. George Ryan, who is serving a federal prison term for political corruption.
Blagojevich said he was a reformer, putting people ahead of politics. In the end, he was arrested by the FBI on corruption charges and became the first Illinois governor ever booted out of office by the General Assembly.
While Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing, public outrage over his scandal might improve the chances for stricter ethics laws. But that doesn't mean it will be easy.
Illinois has long held out against political reform, rejecting limits on campaign fundraising as violating freedom of speech. Unlike in federal campaigns and most other states, Illinois has virtually no limits on contributions. A ban on contributions from big-time state contractors took years to negotiate and just took effect Jan. 1.
It's tough to get politicians to change the rules that got them elected, noted David Morrison of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
But lawmakers should be able to capitalize on the impeachment, using the Senate's 59-0 conviction vote Thursday as a bridge to their efforts to change the system.
"One moment needs to speak to the next," said Democratic Sen. Michael Noland. "In the two years that I've been here, I've not seen us this unified on any particular subject. This is an opportunity for us."
Rep. Harry Osterman, a Chicago Democrat, already has proposed legislation to limit the amount of individual political contributions. Look for new versions of other proposals to provide public financing of elections, require more details on lobbyists' activities and greater disclosure of candidates' personal financial information.
Those measures have overwhelming public support, according to Osterman. And constituents are watching now.
"People are going to be a lot more demanding and will be letting their opinions known to legislators who are reluctant to embrace these measures," Osterman said. "They're going to be a lot more tuned in."
House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, another Chicago Democrat, acknowledged the pressure for election reform.
"In the eyes of the federal investigators, he's broken the law," Currie said. "So it's not that the law isn't adequate to the task; it's a question of somebody breaking it."
