Only one hour after Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached out of office Thursday afternoon, the Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn took the public oath of office in Illinois state house of representative chamber.
In his first news conference as governor, Quinn compared his situation coming into office to that of Gerald Ford following Richard Nixon after Nixon resigned in 1974.
"(Ford) pointed out that he was not elected by the ballots of the people, so he asked the people of America to confirm his office by their prayers, and I have the same request for the people of Illinois," Quinn said.
He warned that aside from sweeping economic problems, the state is facing "an integrity crisis." He called upon the people of Illinois to make the sacrifices necessary to address the serious challenges before them.
He indicated that all appointed government officials and employees will be under review in his administration.
Just about one hour ago, the former Gov. Blagojevich was convicted of corruption and removed from office by a vote of 59-0 by the Illinois State Senate. Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn automatically replaced him to be the new governor according to the law.