The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago has long been known as a hotbed for Democratic corruption. The issue has come up again as Illinois State Senator from Chicago, Democrat Martin Sandoval, has been forced to resign due to an ongoing corruption investigation.

The resignation of Sandoval, which will become effective January 1, 2020, comes 2 months after FBI agents raided his office and home to look for evidence of bribery and theft of federal funds related to his position in the State Senate and his concrete and construction businesses. After the raid, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and others demanded Sandoval resigns as chairman of the Transportation Committee which was overseeing a $40+ billion state construction program that Sandoval allegedly benefitted financially from.

Sandoval’s family has also benefitted financially from his position in government through his corruption. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that both his daughter and daughter-in-law were hired by the Chicago Transit Authority and his son was hired by another transit agency, the Pace bus system.

Since the early 1900s, Democrats have dominated Chicago politics. Over the course of this century-plus in power, the political scene has been dominated by organized crime and corruption. It has been dubbed the “corruption capital of America” and a 2015 study found that it was “undoubtedly the most corrupt city in our nation”. It is where Barak Obama cut his teeth in politics and his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, was mayor of Chicago until early 2019.