When the news arrived, Rep. Bill Black thought at first it was somebody's lame idea of a joke. But it was true: The FBI had arrested the governor of Illinois, hauling him away wearing a track suit and handcuffs.

"I thought, holy mackerel, another glorious day for Illinois government," said Black, a Danville Republican.

The arrest of Rod Blagojevich took place a year ago Wednesday. Since then it's been one "holy mackerel" moment after another, some amusingly bizarre and some deadly serious.

The Chicago Democrat was impeached and removed from office. He denied wrongdoing in a strange media blitz, becoming a national joke in the process. A close political ally committed suicide. He dispatched his wife to eat bugs on a reality TV show. He defied pretty much everyone by filling a vacant Senate seat.

Blagojevich even became, at least for one afternoon, an Elvis impersonator.

And the show isn't over yet.

The scandal could have a national impact by tipping a U.S. Senate seat _ the one previously held by President Barack Obama _ into Republican hands. The GOP also hopes to reclaim the governor's office, and they could be helped if Blagojevich stays in the spotlight with a role on "Celebrity Apprentice" next year and a federal trial during election season.

His legacy will also be felt in a major overhaul of Illinois ethics laws, including the first-ever caps on the size of campaign donations. New Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign the legislation on the anniversary of Blagojevich's arrest as part of a Democratic effort to regain voters' trust.

Blagojevich's arrest on Dec. 9, 2008, didn't come out of the blue.

Federal prosecutors had long been investigating whether the governor, then in the middle of his second term, had used his official powers illegally _ to pressure groups into making campaign contributions, for instance, or to award government jobs and contracts to political allies.

But for many, it was still shocking to think of the FBI showing up at a governor's door and taking him away in handcuffs to be fingerprinted and pose for a mugshot.

"It wasn't unanticipated, but it left me with a hollow spot in my stomach because it was our chief executive and the state had taken enough grief for its failures in the ethics department," said James Nowlan, a political science professor and former Illinois legislator.

Just as shocking were the charges.

Blagojevich was accused of trying to sell an appointment to fill the Senate vacancy created by Obama's move to the White House. Prosecutors said they had recordings of Blagojevich talking about demanding huge campaign contributions or a job for himself in exchange for the appointment.