Michael Whatley turns to convicted ex-governor for campaign boost

Michael Whatley’s U.S. Senate campaign in North Carolina has been beleaguered by tight polls and sluggish fundraising. Now, he’s turning to an unlikely ally for help: former Illinois governor and convicted felon Rod Blagojevich.

Whatley appeared alongside Blagojevich at a March 19 fundraiser at Trump Tower in Chicago. Also in attendance was Don Tracy, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois.

Blagojevich was elected governor of Illinois in 2002 and reelected in 2006. Three years later, he was impeached and removed from office for trying to personally benefit from filling the Senate seat vacated by then–President-elect Barack Obama.

“I’ve got this thing, and it’s fucking golden,” Blagojevich said of the seat in a 2009 phone call that was surreptitiously recorded by the FBI. “I’m just not giving it up for fucking nothing.”

In 2011, Blagojevich was found guilty on 17 counts related to the attempted sale of the Senate seat, as well as additional extortion charges involving state funds. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Blagojevich maintains his innocence.

In 2020, President Donald Trump commuted Blagojevich’s prison sentence, securing his early release. Last year, Trump granted Blagojevich a full pardon, expunging the charges from his criminal record.

Many Illinois lawmakers, including several Republicans, criticized Trump’s decision.

“Anybody that had lived in the state of Illinois during that time and saw how dysfunctional and chaotic that administration was,” Republican state Sen. Jil Tracy told reporters. “This man abused his power and there definitely was a pay-for-play.”

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin described the Blagojevich scandal as “one of the worst” in Illinois state history.

This is not the first time Whatley’s campaign has turned to questionable characters for help. It was reported last month that the campaign accepted $21,000 in donations from various individuals accused of health care fraud.

Whatley’s Democratic opponent is former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.