Washington  - The lower body of the Illinois state legislature voted overwhelmingly Friday to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested last month for trying to sell president-elect Barack Obama's vacant US Senate seat.

The House of Representatives voted 114-1 to send the case to a trial in the state Senate, where, if convicted, Blagojevich will be stripped of his power and removed from office. A special committee in the House voted unanimously to impeach Blagojevich on Thursday.

Blagojevich was arrested outside his home on December 9 on a wide array of corruption charges, including using his sole power to replace Obama in the US Senate to attempt to solicit bribes from potential candidates.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted in a federal court. Speaking to reporters in Chicago hours after the vote, Blagojevich said the House decision was politically motivated and did not come "as a complete surprise."

"I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," he said. "I'm confident that at the end of the day I will be properly exonerated" in a court of law, he said.

Obama resigned from his seat after winning the presidential election and has joined other Democrats and Republicans in calling on Blagojevich to resign.

Federal court documents say that Blagojevich was recorded in wire- tapped telephone conversations repeatedly stating his intent to gain personal benefits, such as money or a high-paid labour union job, in exchange for granting the Senate post, calling it "golden."

Blagojevich, 52, has promised to fight the charges against him and has steadfastly refused to resign or relinquish his power to appoint a new senator.

On December 30, Blagojevich named one of the state's former top law enforcement officers, Roland Burris, to the US Senate.

Burris, 71, has been accused of no wrongdoing but Senate Democrats have refused to seat him until the appointment is settled in court. An Illinois court is hearing a case to determine if Burris can take the seat without the certification of state secretary Jesse Owens, who has refused to sign the document.

Obama and other top Democrats had urged Blagojevich to transfer the decision to the state legislature or hold a special election, but the governor insisted he had a responsibility to ensure the state's population had adequate representation in Washington.

Burris was turned back during the first day of the new congressional session on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would find a way to seat Burris once the legal issues have been settled.

Blagojevich's top aide, John Harris, has been charged in the scandal and faces up to 20 years in prison. Harris resigned of chief of staff days after the arrests.

The Justice Department also accused the two men of threatening to withhold state assistance for a media firm, the Tribune Co, unless it sacked editorial writers seen as unfriendly to the governor. They were additionally charged with seeking campaign contributions in exchange for official actions in a "pay-to-play" scheme.

The scandal has also disrupted Obama and his transition team as the president-elect prepares to take office January 20. Obama, in December, released a report by his legal team of all contact between his staff and Blagojevich. The report concluded there were no inappropriate communications. Neither Obama or any staff were implicated in the investigation. dpa