SPRINGFIELD - A state senator from the Quad-Cities says Gov. Rod Blagojevich threatened him, swore at him and acted "like a 10-year-old" Friday when he refused to support the governor's massive health care expansion plan.

State Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said the governor further threatened to yank state funding for a new campus of Western Illinois University in Rock Island and vowed to find someone to run against Jacobs in the next election.

"If this governor would have been in East Moline, Ill., in one of my local taverns, I would have kicked his tail end," Jacobs said Friday.

The governor's office didn't deny the heated exchange occurred, but in an e-mail, spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said it was Jacobs who wanted to horse trade over the health care issue.

"Senator Jacobs wanted a commitment of a $75 million project in his district in exchange for his vote to provide healthcare for everyone. The governor refused," she wrote.

The rancor surfaced on the first day of an overtime legislative session, in which Democrats, who control state government, were again unable to reach agreement on key issues such as the state budget and high electric rates.

Lawmakers couldn't finish their work for the spring by midnight Thursday and are now set to continue meeting three days a week through June. Because they missed their deadline, legislators will not receive their daily expense checks of $125.

Despite a high-profile campaign to win support for his health care expansion plan, the governor has been unable to convince lawmakers to vote in favor of the proposal. Jacobs is among at least eight Democrats in the Senate who weren't on board with the governor late Thursday.

In an apparent move to convince him to switch positions, Jacobs said he was called into the governor's office at 10:45 a.m. Friday.

He said the scene in Blagojevich's office quickly became ugly.

"He blew up like a 10-year-old child. If it had been my son, I might have put him on my knee and spanked him," Jacobs said. "There was a lot of profanity involved - not on my side. I tried to do my best to remain as calm as I could.

"I can see why he can't get what he wants, because you can't get what you want when you sit around and pout. You have to be a grownup and try to find compromise. He acted like a spoiled child who was not willing to compromise on anything.

"I've got the governor doubling his fists and acting like he wants to punch me. I thought we were going to come to blows."

Jacobs said the highly charged exchange has him considering a run for governor.

Western Illinois University has been attempting to land $14 million in state funding to erect the first building of a branch campus in Rock Island. The governor earlier expressed his support for the funding.

University spokesman John Maguire said Friday that the governor's office called and urged WIU President Al Goldfarb to contact Jacobs and ask him to vote for the health care bill. Maguire said such lobbying is common, and Goldfarb complied with the governor's request.

"That's not unusual. That's Illinois," Maguire said.

Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, who has struggled to deliver legislative victories for the governor this spring despite holding a 15-seat Democratic majority in the upper chamber, downplayed the exchange.

"I understand those things, but those things get worked out. We're all professionals," Jones said.

Lawmakers are scheduled to return to action Tuesday.

Kurt Erickson can be reached at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 789-0865.