News

'Trumpocrat' Blagojevich to headline GOP candidate's fundraiser in St. Charles

Posted August 17, 2020 1:00 am

By Mitchell Armentrout Chicago Sun-Times

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich waves to his friends in Chicago on Feb. 19, a day after he was released from a federal prison in Colorado. President Donald Trump commuted Blagojevich's sentence for corruption. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich once joked about not having a speaking role at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, saying the "Democratic National Committee and Mayor Daley invited me to speak at 4:30 in the morning in the men's room at Faneuil Hall."

Fast forward 16 years, and the self-declared "Trumpocrat" will headline an Aug. 27 fundraiser in St. Charles to support a Republican state Senate candidate and "to celebrate President Donald J. Trump's RNC 2020 nomination," six months after Blagojevich was freed with a commutation from his former reality television boss.

Illinois Republican Party leaders called it "a bad idea," but GOP candidate Tom McCullagh said he invited Blagojevich to "highlight corruption in Illinois, and how to fight it."

• For the full story, visit chicago.suntimes.com.

Tom McCullagh

Meg Loughran Cappel

Article Comments

Article Categories
Communities Donald Trump IL Senate 49 Illinois Illinois Senate Illinois State Politics News Political Figures Political Parties Region Republican Party St. Charles State Legislature

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.