Illinois’ Obama far ahead of Keyes

These have not been the best of times for Alan Keyes, the perennial presidential hopeful who is now the GOP candidate for the Senate in Illinois.

The most recent poll by the Chicago Tribune shows him trailing Democrat Barack Obama, the Democrat who gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, by an incredible 51 percentage points. National Republicans have kept their distance, particularly since Keyes disparaged Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter.

Now it seems even the Illinois GOP is cutting Keyes loose. The Tribune reports that he was left off a state party mailer – “Your 2004 Republican Team” – listing every candidate from President Bush to the state legislature. The state party spokesman said no snub was intended because “the Keyes campaign is doing its own thing.”