We can do this.

Two years ago, Illinois Republicans started the job of turning the state from blue to red. We elected a U.S. Senator, took four Illinois Congressional seats, and came within a percentage point of winning the Governor’s office.

Now, it’s time to work toward finishing that job. It’s time to put Illinois in the Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan column in this razor-thin election tomorrow and continue our efforts to paint Illinois red.

Tough job, yes. Lot of hard work in the next 24 hours, yes. But we can do this.

Reports over the weekend showed a 57 percent drop in the number of early voters and absentee voters in Chicago, the President’s stronghold for winning Illinois. If he’s losing that kind of support in his hometown, he’s got some serious trouble.

I know what close elections are like. I’ve won and I’ve lost in close elections. I won 98 counties and came within about three votes per precinct of winning the governor’s race in 2010, and I know the spirit of Illinois voters who don’t agree with the President’s policies and want a change in direction for this state and this country.

As I’ve traveled around the state for GOP candidates for the Illinois Senate and local office, I’ve sensed the hunger and enthusiasm to bring change to the Courthouse, to the Statehouse, to the White House.

In the legislature, Republicans have good opportunities for winning new suburban seats and strengthening our Downstate numbers. In county offices, we have good chances to put Republicans in office who won’t stand silent while Democrats try to advance an agenda of shoving the state’s problems down to local taxpayers.

We’re doing our part to make sure Nancy Pelosi doesn’t come back as Speaker in Congress. And we need to do our part to make Mitt Romney the next President of the United States.

A turnout for Romney will boost our chances for victory in every office on the ballot, and there’s no doubt that turnout is the key in these hard-fought close elections.

I’m asking all of you who supported me in 2010 to make sure you vote, and make sure your friends and families go to the polls too. This is a critical election, and we don’t want to wake up Wednesday morning wondering what more we could have done. We need to do it now.

We need to work toward finishing the job we started two years ago. We can do this.