By Greg Halbleib

BLOOMINGTON – Keeping and developing jobs is vital to preventing more workers from leaving the state and the country according to the Democratic challenger for U.S. Senate.

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth says the knowledge and technology exodus from Illinois has to stop.

“We need to look to invest in supporting manufacturers and especially in businesses that keep jobs in the U.S.,” Duckworth told WJBC’s Terry James. “I think we have the resources in Illinois to really lead the nation when it comes to manufacturing with clean energy, windmills, biodiesel, biofuels with our agricultural strengths.”

Duckworth said keeping nuclear power plants open in Clinton and the Quad Cities would retain human and technological resources in the state. Duckworth said she doesn’t like the way plant operator Exelon has handled the requests for government help to keep the facilities open, but she agrees that they contribute greatly to the Illinois economy.

“Keeping those plants in Illinois is good for the power grid in terms of the energy they produce, and it’s also good in terms of the jobs they keep in our communities,” Duckworth said. “But equally important to me is the fact that it will keep the technical knowledge and capabilities in the state.”

Duckworth also says the political parties must return to working together in ways they did when she was first elected to Congress in 2012.

She faces Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Mark Kirk in next week’s election.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].