Ex-Governor Who Tried to Sell Obama Senate Seat Files Lawsuit for Right to Run Again In 2009, the Illinois General Assembly removed Blagojevich as governor and barred him from seeking elected office in the future Published August 2, 2021 • Updated on August 2, 2021 at 7:56 pm NBC Universal, Inc. Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich filed a federal lawsuit Monday, arguing his civil rights were violated when the Illinois State Senate banned him from running for state or local office. The former governor served more than seven years of a 14-year prison sentence after he was convicted of trying to sell the Senate seat of then-President-Elect Barack Obama. His sentence was commuted in February 2020 by then-President Donald Trump after months of speculation.