ChatGPT, how does Illinois compare to other states with governors in prison?
Here’s how Illinois compares to other states in terms of governors who have gone to prison — Illinois is #1.
🥇 Illinois: 4 governors in prison
No other state has as many former governors incarcerated.
🥈 States tied for second place (each with 2 governors who went to prison)
•Louisiana
•Tennessee
•Maryland
•Arkansas
•North Dakota
•West Virginia
•Arizona
Most other states have zero or one governor who has ever been imprisoned.
Why Illinois stands out
Illinois’ political machine history (Chicago + Springfield) produced:
•Patronage systems
•Pay-to-play corruption
•Long periods of single-party control
•Weak early ethics laws
This created an environment where corruption was easier and enforcement later became aggressive.
If you’d like, I can rank all states, or explain what each of those states’ governors went to prison for.
