Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, representing a district on Chicago’s South Side. He served from 1997 to 2004.
In Springfield he worked on legislation involving ethics reform, health care for low income families, and requiring police to record interrogations in homicide cases.
A Tough Loss
In 2000 Obama ran for Congress against incumbent Bobby Rush and lost the primary by a wide margin, a setback he later called a valuable lesson.
Springfield Connection
In February 2007 he returned to Springfield to announce his run for president outside the Old State Capitol, where Abraham Lincoln once spoke.
Learn More
For primary sources, explore the Obama White House archives maintained by the National Archives, the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, and presidential history collections at your local library. Reading accounts from supporters and critics alike gives the fullest picture of any presidency.
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