Call for special election

Dear President Jones and Speaker Madigan:

In light of the Illinois Supreme Court's rejection of the Attorney General's request to remove Governor Blagojevich from office and the appropriately deliberative nature of the impeachment proceedings, we believe it is imperative that Illinois move immediately to set a Special Election date for the U.S. Senate vacancy.

Last week, you both scheduled special session dates to do just that. However, during both the House and Senate sessions this week, both of you refused to even allow debate on measures to strip the governor of his appointment powers, even after both of you publicly stated support for such efforts.

As representatives of the state of Illinois, we are called upon to be leaders. It is our obligation to ensure that the wishes of the many are carried out to the very best of our abilities. In light of the very serious charges brought against Governor Blagojevich and the formation of an impeachment committee, it is obvious that he cannot be allowed to appoint the successor to President-elect Obama's seat. Any appointment to fill this seat by any single individual will be met with skepticism and questioned on ethical standards.

We ask you to call the Illinois General Assembly into Special Session immediately to take up action on legislation that would call for a special election to replace President-elect Obama. There is one group of people we can be sure that has not been tainted by political corruption in Illinois, and that is the electorate.

Sincerely,

Tom Cross
House Republican Leader

Christine Radogno
Senate Republican Leader-Elect