CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- Republicans now control all the state legislative seats in southern Illinois, after incumbent House Democrat Nathan Reitz lost the race for Illinois' 116th district last night.
Southern Illinois University Visiting Professor John Jackson, with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, says downstate Illinois has been moving in this direction for some time.
He says in order for Republicans to get issues passed in Springfield, they will have to find ways to work with upstate Democrats.
"They're going to have to work with the Democrats and they're going to have to work with particularly the Chicago Democrats that (are) often not always comfortable fits," says Jackson. "But compromise is what the legislative process requires and it's going to require compromise on both sides."
Jackson says yesterday's historic turnout across the nation went smooth and "rather incident free." He explains that to keep from furthering any confusion following the election, officials need time to complete the count.
He adds, the next test of the nation's legislative process will be whether or not the Congress and the President will work together to deliver a second Stimulus package.
