In the month prior to the 2004 election, Blagojevich made a number of stops around the state to promote Illinois’ I-SaveRx Program. While the Blagojevich Administration claimed the trips were “for official business and are not intended to be political,” the Governor shared the stage with numerous Democratic candidates just weeks before the election, including David Gill.
In an article on October 26, 2004, the Bloomington Pantagraph detailed the event held at a senior center in Clinton: “...But at a stop at a senior center in DeWitt County last week, Blagojevich was joined by 15th Congressional District candidate David Gill, a Democrat from Clinton...The event gave Gill, a doctor who has made health care the focus of his campaign, an opportunity to speak to 150 potential voters.
The photo (upper right - click to enlarge) shows David Gill illegally attending the event as a political candidate, wearing a political button with his campaign’s logo.
At the time, University of Illinois at Springfield political scientist Kent Redfield told the Pantagraph, “If something becomes a campaign rally, you have to acknowledge there was a political dimension to it...you have to apply a higher standard to yourself. You have to lead by example.”
“Just more hypocrisy from radical David Gill who claims he’s not a politician and has never been on a government payroll, but clearly has no problems using taxpayer dollars to benefit his campaign,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said. “This photo shows that Gill has some major ethics questions to answer, including why he attended an official government event as a candidate and what his relationship was with convicted felon Rod Blagojevich.”
