Obama Poised to Take Illinois Where His Roots Run Deep

— -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has deep roots in his adopted home state of Illinois.

His wife, Michelle Obama, grew up on Chicago's south side. The Obama's and their daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, live in a home in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood.

Obama's presidential campaign is headquartered in Chicago, the nation's third-largest big city, where the Democratic presidential candidate began his career as a community organizer and a civil rights attorney.

Obama taught constitutional law for years at the University of Chicago before becoming an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004 and a U.S. senator.

Illinois, which has 21 electoral votes up for grabs, is expected to be a "safe Democratic state" according to ABC News' latest assessment.

Illinois voted for former Vice President Al Gore in 2000 with 55 percent support and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in 2004 with 55 percent support.