Former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Urges Voters to Back Republicans, Says Socialists 'Hijacked' His Party
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, urged voters on Sunday to cast their ballots for Republicans in the midterm elections, saying socialists like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have "hijacked" the Democratic Party, the New York Post reported.
What Blagojevich Said
"It's not the Democratic Party anymore. It's a socialist party," Blagojevich said on the "Cats Roundtable" program on 770 WABC radio, according to the Post. He described himself as a "Trump-O-Crat" while discussing his new book.
"The Democratic Party has been hijacked by socialists and communists who hate America. If you want Mamdanis all across America, then stay home and allow the Democrats to win the midterm elections," he said. "But if you want to make our country great again, and protect it from people who would destroy our country, then get out there and vote," he told host John Catsimatidis.
Blagojevich said his book is complimentary to Trump, whom he considers a better president for working people because of the tax cuts on tips and overtime, the Post reported.
Blagojevich was convicted in a scheme to sell the U.S. Senate seat Barack Obama vacated after winning the presidency in 2008, the Post reported. Trump commuted his 14-year prison sentence for political corruption in 2020.
Blagojevich on Obama
Blagojevich blamed Obama, whom he placed on the "socialist side," for his downfall, saying an emissary of Obama's approached him about filling the seat, the Post reported.
Blagojevich said none of it would have happened if Obama had not sent someone to meet him "to make a political deal, which was criminalized in my case." "He spent eight years in the White House. I spent eight years in the big house," he said.
Obama has said he never discussed the seat with Blagojevich. "I have not discussed the Senate seat with the governor at any time," Obama said in 2008, according to the Post. Those are Blagojevich's claims, and The Digital Free Press has not independently verified them.
Image: Illinois State Capitol in Springfield (file photo), Daniel Schwen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: New York Post, "Ex-con former Dem Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich urges America to vote Republican" (Oct. 25, 2026): https://nypost.com/2026/10/25/us-news/ex-con-former-dem-ill-gov-rod-blagojevich-urges-america-to-vote-republican/
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