Senate President John Cullerton and Senator Deanna Demuzio.

Local Democrats are waiting anxiously for what Governor Pat Quinn will say tomorrow about the depth of Illinois’ fiscal problems.

49th District State Senator Deanna Demuzio is going to be listening closely to Quinn’s speech. She says the speech won't be pleasant to hear and legislators will have to make tough choices to help dig the state out of its financial hole. Illinois is facing a budget shortfall of around $13 billion.

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton points to past legislation as hope for the future. The Chicago-based state senator says the budget needs to be a bipartisan issue. He says both parties helped to pass a jobs bill last year and now both parties need to work together on the budget crisis.

Cullerton says Jacksonville is a community with a lot of state facilities. He says if those businesses went out of business it would hurt the state financially. Cullerton was in Jacksonville last night at a fundraising banquet for Demuzio at Hamilton’s on North East.

18th District Congressional candidate DK Hirner and Morgan County Commissioner Brad Zeller also attended the event.