State Representative Raymond Poe (R-Springfield), along with the Illinois House, voted today to impeach Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich after his December 9th arrest on charges he attempted to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. The vote Friday marks the first time in the 190-year history of Illinois that a sitting Governor has been impeached.

“I think the summary of evidence brought forth by the Special Committee shows a blatant abuse of power by our Governor,” said Poe. “It is clear that the Committee’s findings prove that Governor Blagojevich is not fit to serve as the Governor of Illinois.”

In a vote of 114-1, the Illinois House sends the Blagojevich impeachment process to the Illinois Senate following weeks of hearings and public testimony in a bipartisan special investigative committee of the Illinois House. The Senate trial is tentatively set to begin later this month where a two-thirds majority is needed to convict him of the charges and remove him from office.