DeKALB – Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford said Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could carry the state on Election Day, citing statewide dissatisfaction with Democrats.

But it won’t be easy, Rutherford told Republican supporters at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. Illinois is not only a Democratic stronghold, but President Barack Obama’s home state, he noted.

“There is a rustling under the leaves in this state,” said Rutherford, who also is the chairman of the Romney campaign in Illinois.