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Currently, Illinois has a [[Democratic]] governor, [[Patrick Joseph Quinn]], but has elected [[Republican]] governors in the recent past, such as [[George Ryan]], who controversially emptied the state's death row after an investigation by [[Northwestern University]] law students proved that one death row inmate was innocent.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/11/illinois.death.row/</ref> Critics charged that he only did so to gain sympathy because he was about to be tried for [[corruption]] and selling [[commercial driver's license]]s when he was the [[Illinois Secretary of State]]. There are 2 senators and 19 Representatives in Illinois.
Currently, Illinois has a [[Democratic]] governor, [[Patrick Joseph Quinn]], but has elected [[Republican]] governors in the recent past, such as [[George Ryan]], who controversially emptied the state's death row after an investigation by [[Northwestern University]] law students proved that one death row inmate was innocent.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/11/illinois.death.row/</ref> Critics charged that he only did so to gain sympathy because he was about to be tried for [[corruption]] and selling [[commercial driver's license]]s when he was the [[Illinois Secretary of State]]. There are 2 senators and 19 Representatives in Illinois.
===Commerce===
*Gross State Product - $528 Billion (2004)
*Personal income per Capita - $32,965 (2003)
Illinois is not only the nation’s leading pumpkin producer, but also its leading pumpkin processor.
Libby's plants 5,000 acres of Dickinson Select pumpkins each year in and around Morton, Illinois.
Morton, where 80 percent of the world's canned pumpkin is packed at the Libby's factory, is known as
the "Pumpkin Capital of the World." The town hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival to celebrate the start
of the pumpkin canning season.Illinois is a leading producer of soybeans, corn and hogs. The state's climate and varied soil types enable farmers to grow and raise many other agricultural commodities, including cattle, wheat, oats, sorghum,hay, sheep, poultry, fruits and vegetables. Illinois also produces several specialty crops, such as buckwheat, horseradish, ostriches, fish and Christmas trees.Marketing of Illinois' agricultural commodities generates more than $9 billion annually. Corn accounts for nearly 40 percent of that total. Marketing of soybeans contributes about one-third, with the combined marketings of livestock, dairy and poultry generating about 23 percent.
Illinois has a competitive edge over many other states due to its central location and superior
transportation system. More than 2,000 miles of interstate highways and 34,500 miles of other state
highways make trucking of goods fast and efficient. Chicago is home to the largest rail gateway in the nation, connecting the eastern and western United States. The state boasts some 1,100 airports, landing areas and heliports, including Chicago's O'Hare International, through which more than 65 million travelers pass annually. Illinois' 1,118 miles of navigable waterways, including the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, make barge traffic an excellent option for shipment of grain to the Gulf of Mexico.
===Demographics===
===Demographics===