Poll: 54 percent want Blagojevich retried

CHICAGO, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Fifty-four percent of Illinois voters favor retrying disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich on the 23 of 24 counts a jury couldn't decide on, a state poll indicated.

Thirty-seven percent statewide don't want a retrial, while 10 percent have no opinion, the Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll found.

A jury convicted Blagojevich Aug. 17 of making false statements to the FBI, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. Blagojevich vowed to appeal.

But the jury said it was deadlocked on 23 corruption counts, including those accusing him of racketeering, conspiracy and trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat once held by Barack Obama before he became U.S. president.

Judge James B. Zagel declared a mistrial on those counts Aug. 17.

Federal prosecutors said immediately they would retry Blagojevich. The retrial is tentatively set for January.

In Chicago, where Blagojevich was popular, 35 percent of respondents favor a retrial and 51 percent oppose it, the poll found.

Fifty-four percent of those in the immediate suburbs and 57 percent in the more remote "collar counties" agreed Blagojevich should be retried.

The poll of 600 registered Illinois voters conducted Aug. 28-Sept. 1 has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.