If the 13th Ward on Chicago’s Southwest Side was Madigan’s political base, then Springfield was his political playground. In Springfield the machinery of state government grinds quietly, conveying wealth and power in equal measure.

Featuring conversations with former governors Jim Edgar, Pat Quinn and George Ryan along with State Representative Will Guzzardi (39th), Amanda Vinicky, Ray Long, Rick Pearson and David McKinney, this episode explores how Madigan came to control the machinery of state government--and came to rule for half a century.