JANESVILLE, Wis. -- Gov. Jim Doyle said that General Motors' announcement that it will close its plant in Janesville is in many ways "like hearing about a death in the family."

VIDEO: Watch The Report

"We're trying to sort out our emotions and figure out where we are going," Doyle told autoworkers at a union hall on Tuesday afternoon.

But Doyle said the state is looking at what can be done to help Janesville through hardship.

"This is the heart and soul of who we are in this state," Doyle said as he spoke to union members Tuesday.

The governor said that workers in Janesville have done "everything right" and made money for GM for years. He said that the company should have anticipated that other types of vehicles would be needed as gas prices rose.

The Janesville plant makes Chevy Suburbans and Tahoes and GMC Yukon and Denali SUVs.

Area politicians said they feel a commitment to the Janesville plant.

"The very first political rallies my father took me to in Janesville were at the UAW hall, and my grandfather bought the first Chevy truck ever made in Janesville," said U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who grew up in Janesville.

Doyle said he'll work and keep jobs for workers he called the "pride of the state" in the community, but that he will also prepare for the worst.

"We also have to be realistic and start working as well with families and individuals to make sure that people land on their feet," Doyle said.

The governor said that the state will work with the city and other local governments to make sure good jobs are brought to the area.

The Department of Workforce Development has already dispatched response teams to the area, and is petitioning for federal assistance for workers because jobs are going overseas.

Area lawmakers are already looking to attract businesses.

"We have great infrastructure, skilled workers, great colleges, and we also have the interstate, a good highway system," said state Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit. "We're poised to provide the kind of tools and incentives that employers are looking for. I don't know if we'll get another plant here, but we're going to try. We're not going down without a fight."

Those representing the area's political interests said that Janesville will survive.

"I know my hometown and I know my home county, and if there's a place on earth where they know how to get the job done and figure out a way around the problem to get people jobs and retrain people, it's that area," Feingold said.

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called the news "gut-wrenching" but echoed the community's resilience.

"Janesville will survive this, because we simply have to survive this. As I have witnessed time and time again, I have faith that our community will pull together to support one another in the difficult days ahead," Ryan said in a statement.

The state is also concerned about its investment in General Motors. It offered $10 Million in incentive money for GM to retool the plant back in 2005. Doyle said Tuesday that if the company doesn't stay, the state will work to recoup that money.