
Richard DurbinDemocrat
Illinois became the 21st state on December 3, 1818. Civic life here often turns on the relationship between Chicago, suburban counties, downstate cities, farm communities, manufacturing regions, universities, and transportation corridors that connect the Midwest. Public decisions about budgets, pensions, schools, transit, public safety, health care, and economic development can look very different across those regions. This profile helps readers understand Illinois representation and state government resources as part of a state where local needs, statewide systems, and national politics often intersect.

