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Illinois Senate President: Disappointed, Optimistic

Brian Mackey / WUIS/Illinois Issues
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton said Governor Bruce Rauner should be governing and working toward compromise instead of campaigning through television ads.

Illinois' new Republican governor and the Democrats who lead the General Assembly are deadlocked over the right path for the state.

Governor Bruce Rauner is pushing an agenda that’s both pro-business and anti-union. He said only once his plans are s passed will he consider raising taxes to stave off deep budget cuts. 

But Democrats said his plans would hurt the state and the focus needs to be on the budget.

Rauner is bypassing traditional, behind-the-scenes methods of persuasion. Tuesday he began a statewide TV advertising blitz that blames Democrats for refusing to change. 

Illinois Public Radio Statehouse Bureau Chief Amanda Vinicky sat down with Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) to talk about the ad campaign and the budget impasse.