SPRINGFIELD (AP) - The balance of power in the Illinois General Assembly didn't change much with last week's election, but major change could be on the horizon anyway.

The retirement of Senate President Emil Jones - whose legacy of undaunting support for the highly unpopular Gov. Rod Blagojevich has contributed to stalled action in the Legislature - undoubtedly will usher in a new era of conciliation.

Most believe a new Senate leader will work more closely with Blagojevich rival Michael Madigan, the Democratic House speaker, to adopt major initiatives such as a long-stalled capital construction plan.

But it might be the nation's economic decline that dictates relations.

"Too many people in communities throughout Illinois are hurt and bleeding because of the economy," said Sen. Jeffery Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat hoping to replace Jones. "We can hardly afford the political conflicts that have marked the past couple of years."

In a year when even traditionally Republican strongholds backed Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for president, Democrats were unable to add to the 37-22 Senate supermajority that allows them to override any gubernatorial vetoes without GOP help.

Madigan did add three seats in the House - padding his majority, which is now 70-48 - but fell one short of gaining his own supermajority.

Attaining the margin in both chambers would have given Democrats enough votes to adopt virtually any piece of legislation and overturn gubernatorial vetoes without help from Republicans.

Schoenberg downplayed the Democrats' inability to gain in the Senate, noting that Republicans were unable to unseat three vulnerable incumbents, including two-term Benton senator Gary Forby. GOP presidential nominee John McCain won most of the counties in Forby's district.

But Charles Wheeler, director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois, said House Democrats made huge efforts to unseat more than a few Republicans and should have done better in an election in which Obama's dominance was so complete that he won even the heart of Illinois Republicanism, DuPage County, 55 percent to 44 percent over McCain.

"We feel we were able to stand up to the tidal wave fairly well," House Republican spokesman David Dring said. "You never want to lose seats and it's a little scary to move into the future with Democrats winning large at the top of the ticket in places like DuPage and Will counties. But there are a lot of ingredients that can make 2010 a much better year for Republicans in Illinois."

That's when Democrat Blagojevich next faces voters. With federal investigations into his administration and bottom-of-the-well poll numbers, Republicans hope to score big.

Democrats could help them, at least in terms of limiting Blagojevich's power, which Wheeler believes has been sustained only by Jones' acquiescence. Lawmakers say they're tired of the governor ignoring their input and acting on his own - such as his expansion of state-subsidized health care, which two courts now have ruled was illegal.

"He should have a substantial role, but that role should not be where he plays puppetmaster and expects us to dance on his string," said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. "So a new Senate president will take a fresh look at this and I'm hopeful that whoever the new Senate president is is someone who really understands our role under the Constitution."

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said he's confident the Senate will remain cooperative even under new leadership, given the economic crisis.

"Our single goal is to protect Illinois families from the financial crisis that the nation currently faces," Guerrero said in an e-mail. "We are willing to work with anyone who shares our concern for Illinois workers and families."

As for House Democrats' gains, don't underestimate their importance, Lang said. Diversity of opinion among Democrats from disparate parts of the big state doesn't always guarantee 71 votes on an issue. But by adding three seats, it takes fewer moderate Republicans to agree to ideas that make sense, Lang said.

House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat, says regardless of the numbers, House Democrats will continue working on their agenda: help for working families, fair funding for education, expanded health care and pre-kindergarten education.

She wouldn't say what impact a new Senate leadership would have - the Republicans will choose, too, after minority leader Frank Watson of Greenville resigned last week as he recovers from health problems.

But Currie was clear about what it would take to open a door of communication with Blagojevich.

"If the governor wants to change his style of confrontation and work in tandem with the Legislature, respectful of the Legislature's prerogative, that would make for a very different ball game," Currie said.