Governor Bruce Rauner was elected on the promise he would "shake up" state politics.
Thursday, he admitted he's struggling to make good on that pledge.
Rauner ... a Republican who has never before held public office ... told the nonpartisan Taxpayers Federation that Illinois began going "down the drain" a long time ago.
He says the state's problems were created by politicians who took the easy way out.
"Forcing a change in the system? ... I knew it was going to be hard. It's harder than I thought. And it takes longer."
Illinois is in the midst of a historic political stalemate. The state is in its tenth month without a budget ... as Rauner presses his agenda, and Democrats refuse to go along with it.
The governor is campaigning for term limits ... a clamp-down on collective bargaining ... and a workers' compensation system that's friendlier to businesses. Democrats say those will hurt ... rather than help ... the economy.
