The election was called shortly after polls closed. Obama, 43, the Harvard-educated Chicago son of a Kenyan father and a white mother, earned 80 percent of the vote with only 30 percent of precincts reporting.

Today's election represents the latest chapter in the remarkable rise to prominence of a young Democrat who many view as a future star of the party.

“I honestly believe he's a public servant,” said 28-year-old Carolyn Pugh, an Illinois voter quoted on the Obama website who seemed to sum up the feelings of many supporters about the candidate’s reputation as a state leader. “He's got integrity.”

Republicans tried mightily to counter Obama’s popularity in recent months, but seemed stymied by both bad news and indecision. Original GOP candidate Jack Ryan was forced to quit his campaign after newspapers revealed information from court records of his divorce proceedings from his wife, actress Jeri Ryan, who charged that her husband had forced her to go to sex clubs with him and to engage in public sex.

After weeks of wrangling, the state GOP finally sought salvation in replacement candidate Keyes, a Maryland-based former presidential hopeful and archconservative radio talk show host who is also black.

However, Keyes' campaign never seemed to gain much attention or catch fire among Illinois voters, while Obama was confident enough in his standing to spend time using his popularity to campaign on behalf of Democratic candidates in other states.

Obama's election would represent a ray of hope for Democrats, who seemed headed toward defeat in elections in other states, which could lead to a continued minority status in Congress.

The candidates have participated in three televised debates focused on issues such as the Iraq war, abortion, gay marriages and taxes. The debates highlighted their night and day approach to politics.

Keyes argued that he fully supported the president’s decision to invade Iraq and he believed there were links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. Obama said that while he did not agree with the president’s decision to invade Iraq, he feels that U.S. troops should remain there “until the nation is secure enough to hold elections and create a stable government,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Keyes opposes abortion in all cases and Obama supports a woman’s right to choose. Keyes often compares abortion to the Holocaust and supports the Born Alive Infant Protection Act which requires doctors to save fetuses born alive during abortions. Obama says that this act is unnecessary because doctors are already required to do so by law.

Obama and Keyes, both Christians, agree that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but Obama opposes a constitutional ban on same sex marriages arguing that all people deserve rights regardless of their sexual orientation. Keyes argues that gay marriages will result in an immoral society.

Keyes supports the president’s tax cuts, while Obama wants to repeal them and reform the federal tax code to make it “simple and fair,” according to his campaign website.

Obama says that if elected he will not spend his time trying to learn the ropes; he has an agenda of his own. According to his website, affordable housing, the lack of jobs, and the growing crisis of AIDS among minority communities are some issues Obama plans to raise in Congress. He feels that the problems of minorities, particularly African-Americans, have not been addressed by the presidential candidates and deserve some attention.

These thoughts were at the heart of Obama's Democratic National Convention speech in July.

“There's not a liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America, there is the United States of America,” said Obama, one of the convention’s keynote speakers.