Democrat Barack Obama turned in a resounding victory over Republican Alan Keyes in the U.S. Senate race.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had 70 percent, or 3,425,074 votes, and Keyes had 27 percent, or 1,319,920 votes, in unofficial returns. Two third-party candidates, Jerry Kohn and Albert Franzen, split the rest of the vote.

Eileen Dubin, DeKalb County Democratic chairperson, who knows the senator-elect said she was not surprised at Obama’s victory.

“He will make a tremendous U.S. senator,” she said.

In light of Obama’s victory and recent national political ascent, some have forecasted a future run for the presidency.

While Dubin said she feels Obama will serve Illinois well, it is too early to talk about an Obama presidency.

Obama’s future is bright, but the senator-elect will first focus on serving Illinois, said Democratic State’s Attorney Ron Matekaitis.

This victory makes Obama the fifth black senator in U.S. history. Democrat Carol Moseley Braun, the last black senator from Illinois, lost her re-election bid to Republican Peter Fitzgerald in 1998.

For the first time in the nation’s history, the Senate election pitted two black major-party candidates against each other. The Illinois Republican party convinced Keyes, a former diplomat, to take over the Republican running spot in August.

Obama emerged the victor of a crowded March primary after allegations surfaced that Democratic rival Blair Hull had once hit his ex-wife.

Three months after the March primary, Republican Jack Ryan withdrew from the Senate race when details of sex club escapades emerged from the unsealed records of his divorce from actress Jeri Ryan.

“We’ve had some good breaks in this campaign,” Obama said during his Tuesday night acceptance speech.

Obama addressed supporters just after 9 p.m. at Chicago’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. The senator-elect stood before a floor-to-ceiling banner touting Rev. Jesse Jackson’s slogan, “Yes, we can!”

Obama delivered his speech, echoing the bi-partisan theme of his Democratic National Convention key note address, with just 55 percent of Illinois precincts reporting he had won 76 percent of the vote while Keyes’ garnered 21 percent.

“We will not be measured by the margin of our victory,” Obama said, “but whether we are able to deliver concrete improvements to the lives of so many people all across the state who are struggling.”

Keyes stopped short of conceding victory in his speech at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. He said he would continue to fight corrupt Illinois politicians.

“We are called to go into the ditch,” Keyes said, “and though we must wade knee-deep in muck we will come out the other side. This shall be our cause.”

Obama went into Tuesday’s election with an almost 3 to 1 lead over Keyes, according to a poll of 1,200 likely Illinois voters conducted by Chicago-based McCulloch Research & Polling between Oct. 28 and Oct. 31.

Rod McCulloch, a Republican pollster and NIU alumnus said 70.1 percent of polled voters supported Obama while 24.4 percent supported Keyes. The poll had a 3.2 percent margin of error.

Keyes alienated many potential supporters with numerous inflammatory statements, McCulloch said. McCulloch cited Keyes’ allegation that Obama was “less of an African American” because of his mixed race heritage.