Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The push for impeachment gained traction in Springfield Thursday, as Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to keep up a front of "normalcy," working at his downtown office.

Sources told CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine that the governor is actively considering resigning -- perhaps sooner rather than later -- as the move to impeach him gained new momentum and new urgency.

House Democratic leaders began to gauge the appetite within their caucus to support an impeachment motion that could be filed as soon as Monday.

Kissing his daughters and his wife good-bye the morning as they headed off to school and to work was the only glimpse we got of the governor Thursday. The only sign of him at the state of Illinois building was his Christmas greeting hanging in the Atrium.

Blagojevich's spokesperson, Lucio Guerrero, said the governor was upbeat and "trying to stay positive" as he spent a second day working since his arrest. But he acknowledged the governor is aware of outside public sentiment.

"I think he realizes there are some people out there who want him to resign," Guerrero said. "I think the suddenness of all this is something he has to take some time to sort through things."

Guerrero added, "There's a lot of things he would like to say to the people of Illinois, and he probably will say them when the time comes."

Behind the scenes, Illinois lawmakers were moving to end the crisis in state government quickly.

Thursday afternoon, a letter to all Democratic state representatives from Rep. John Fritchey, head of the House Civil Judiciary Committee, maintained "it is imperative to replace Governor Blagojevich as soon as is practicable."

"Pursuing impeachment, while unfortunate, is the most direct and certain way to achieve the goal which we need to achieve, which is the removal of the governor," Fritchey said in an interview. 

 Read the full letter here.

In Springfield Thursday, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn said the impeachment process should begin when the Legislature convenes. If lawmakers don't take action, he would support Madigan going to the Supreme Court.

Quinn strongly criticized the possibility of a special election to fill Obama's seat, saying it would take too long, leaving Illinois with just one senator in Washington for months. Quinn said he has not spoken to potential Senate appointees and doesn't have a short list of candidates.

If he becomes governor, Quinn said his "first order of business" will be appointing a senator. He did not flatly rule out choosing a Republican, saying he would pick the most qualified candidate.

Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday by federal agents for allegedly trying to sell the vacant seat to the highest bidder.

The state's Republicans also seemed to agree it's time to impeach.

"Our governor has no ability to lead anymore," House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said. "People don't have any confidence in him anymore. We need to move forward."

Cross also favors forcing a special election for the U.S. Senate seat.

Of course all this could be sidetracked should the governor decide to step down. There is also some thought being given by the governor -- who still maintains privately he did absolutely nothing wrong -- to sticking around and fighting the impeachment movement, at least at the beginning. 

Fritchey urged his colleagues help remove Blagojevich from office, rather than rely on the governor to resign voluntarily or hope that legal proceedings initiated by Attorney General Lisa Madigan would be successful. Fritchey asked the House members to respond by Friday and invited them to sign on as co-sponsors of the impeachment measure.

Fritchey has been a longtime critic of Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat whose administration has been plagued by scandal and controversy.

In Illinois, the House initiates and convenes impeachment proceedings, but the Senate renders a final decision on whether to remove a sitting governor.

Contributing: CBS 2's Dana Kozlov and The Associated Press

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