During the 2004 Illinois Senatorial debates Keyes was asked, “What would you say to your child if one of your children was to come to you and to say that he or she w

Alan Keyes is a Maryland resident and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Social and Economic Council under Ronald Reagan. He earned a Ph.D. in government affairs from Harvard in 1979 and is also the host the radio call-in show, "America's Wake-Up Call: The Alan Keyes Show." He launched his first bid for the Senate in 1988, But lost to incumbent Democrat Paul Sarbanes. In 1992 he ran again, this time losing to Democrat Barbara Mikulski. During this campaign Keyes ran up still un[paid campaign debts while he paid himself a salary of $100,000 out of campaign funds. He counters that the debt is that of his campaign and that he is personally not responsible for it.

Though he has sought the GOP Presidential nomination twice before and is quite charismatic, Keyes is also enigmatic and in some circles considered an "extremist." Another issue of concern is whether or not Keyes can be a “loyal” Republican, as it was reported by the Washington Post in 1992 that Keyes called the party “racist”, adding "Beyond a certain level blacks need not apply...If I can work out in the fields, I think I ought to be allowed to come into the house for dinner."

As a Presidential candidate Keyes often lamented the fact that many of the questions asked him were centered on race and he found such questioning disturbing. He believed the media did not portray him as an equally capable candidate, and emphasized his race more than his stands on the issues. Slate's Jacob Weisberg said that "the racial factor works mildly in Keyes' favor" because, if he were a white Republican, and thus less of a novelty, the press would portray him more directly as a fanatic. Ignoring Keyes is the kindest thing the press can do for him."

Keyes is stringently anti-abortion, writing in 2002 "The violation on [sic] innocent human life is the same whether you commit terrorism or commit abortion." ("The Vocabulary of Terror: Anti-abortion politics since 9/11," April 10, 2002). Keyes added, ""What distinguishes the terrorist from the ordinary warrior, is that the terrorist will consciously target innocent human life. What is done in the course of an abortion? Someone consciously targets innocent human life."

During the January 6, 2000 Republican Presidential debate he revealed that his stand on homosexuality is even more biting: "It's about time we all faced up to the truth. If we accept the radical homosexual agenda, be it in the military or in marriage or in other areas of our lives, we are utterly destroying the concept of family. We must oppose it in the military. We must oppose it in marriage. We must oppose it if the fundamental institution of our civilization is to survive. Those unwilling to face that fact and playing games with this issue are doing so irresponsibly at the price of America's moral foundations." (Meanwhile, few know that Keyes' daughter Maya is a lesbian, a lifestyle he has condemned as "selfish hedonism").

During the 2004 Illinois Senatorial debates Keyes was asked, “What would you say to your child if one of your children was to come to you and to say that he or she wa

Though he has sought the GOP Presidential nomination twice before and is quite charismatic, Keyes is also enigmatic and in some circles considered an "extremist." Another issue of concern is whether or not Keyes can be a “loyal” Republican, as it was reported by the Washington Post in 1992 that Keyes called the party “racist”, adding "Beyond a certain level blacks need not apply...If I can work out in the fields, I think I ought to be allowed to come into the house for dinner."

As a Presidential candidate Keyes often lamented the fact that many of the questions asked him were centered on race and he found such questioning disturbing. He believed the media did not portray him as an equally capable candidate, and emphasized his race more than his stands on the issues. Slate's Jacob Weisberg said that "the racial factor works mildly in Keyes' favor" because, if he were a white Republican, and thus less of a novelty, the press would portray him more directly as a fanatic. Ignoring Keyes is the kindest thing the press can do for him."

Keyes is stringently anti-abortion, writing in 2002 "The violation on [sic] innocent human life is the same whether you commit terrorism or commit abortion." ("The Vocabulary of Terror: Anti-abortion politics since 9/11," April 10, 2002). Keyes added, ""What distinguishes the terrorist from the ordinary warrior, is that the terrorist will consciously target innocent human life. What is done in the course of an abortion? Someone consciously targets innocent human life."

During the January 6, 2000 Republican Presidential debate he revealed that his stand on homosexuality is even more biting: "It's about time we all faced up to the truth. If we accept the radical homosexual agenda, be it in the military or in marriage or in other areas of our lives, we are utterly destroying the concept of family. We must oppose it in the military. We must oppose it in marriage. We must oppose it if the fundamental institution of our civilization is to survive. Those unwilling to face that fact and playing games with this issue are doing so irresponsibly at the price of America's moral foundations." (Meanwhile, few know that Keyes' daughter Maya is a lesbian, a lifestyle he has condemned as "selfish hedonism").

During the 2004 Illinois Senatorial debates Keyes was asked, “What would you say to your child if one of your children was to come to you and to say that he or she w

Keyes is stringently anti-abortion, writing in 2002 "The violation on [sic] innocent human life is the same whether you commit terrorism or commit abortion." ("The Vocabulary of Terror: Anti-abortion politics since 9/11," April 10, 2002). Keyes added, ""What distinguishes the terrorist from the ordinary warrior, is that the terrorist will consciously target innocent human life. What is done in the course of an abortion? Someone consciously targets innocent human life."

During the January 6, 2000 Republican Presidential debate he revealed that his stand on homosexuality is even more biting: "It's about time we all faced up to the truth. If we accept the radical homosexual agenda, be it in the military or in marriage or in other areas of our lives, we are utterly destroying the concept of family. We must oppose it in the military. We must oppose it in marriage. We must oppose it if the fundamental institution of our civilization is to survive. Those unwilling to face that fact and playing games with this issue are doing so irresponsibly at the price of America's moral foundations." (Meanwhile, few know that Keyes' daughter Maya is a lesbian, a lifestyle he has condemned as "selfish hedonism").

During the 2004 Illinois Senatorial debates Keyes was asked, “What would you say to your child if one of your children was to come to you and to say that he or she w

During the January 6, 2000 Republican Presidential debate he revealed that his stand on homosexuality is even more biting: "It's about time we all faced up to the truth. If we accept the radical homosexual agenda, be it in the military or in marriage or in other areas of our lives, we are utterly destroying the concept of family. We must oppose it in the military. We must oppose it in marriage. We must oppose it if the fundamental institution of our civilization is to survive. Those unwilling to face that fact and playing games with this issue are doing so irresponsibly at the price of America's moral foundations." (Meanwhile, few know that Keyes' daughter Maya is a lesbian, a lifestyle he has condemned as "selfish hedonism").

During the 2004 Illinois Senatorial debates Keyes was asked, “What would you say to your child if one of your children was to come to you and to say that he or she w

During the 2004 Illinois Senatorial debates Keyes was asked, “What would you say to your child if one of your children was to come to you and to say that he or she was a homosexual?” Keyes’ response was “I do not say that homosexual relations is an abomination, the Bible says so. And many people in this state believe the Bible when it says so...Marriage—traditional marriage—is based upon heterosexual relations, because they are connected to procreation. In every society and civilization, marriage is connected to the business of regulating the consequences of procreation. And that is the fundamental argument, in a civic sense, against something like homosexual marriage. It is irrelevant. It is not needed, and the idea that one should have legislation that is regulating private friendships for no reason at all strikes me as a fundamental degrading of those private friendships...and to institutionalize that, it seems to me, sets us on a road toward our social self-destruction.”

The eloquent Keyes believes that America needs a return to its morally-based roots. Such viewpoints make him sound "preachy", but Keyes contends that the lack of moral fiber in this country is one of the causes of the problems affecting the inner cities. Keyes has a a strong following among conservative Christians, but not to the point where he has a realistic chance of ever being elected to anything. He says that abortion provides women "a choice to move against that life in her womb is a violation of the fundamental premise that makes America what it is...it's about our commitment to what defines us as a people and a free country. I think it's the most important issue of our time." Still, others have trouble with his opposition to the constitutional clause allowing for the separation of church and state.

Keyes believes the 17th Amendment, which provides the direct election of United States Senators, rather than their election or appointment by a state legislature, unfairly diminishes the power of state legislatures. In 2004, Senator Zell Miller introduced S.J. Res. 35, that would repeal the 17th Amendment, believing it gave too much power to Washington's special interests and was an attack on federalism. Also supporting that idea was Libertarian Lew Rockwell.

Keyes argues, “Senators were originally chosen, under our Constitution, by the state legislature--for the simple reason that the Senate was supposed to represent the state governments, not geographic entities, but the governments that are empowered to take care of the affairs of the states, as sovereign entities that, under our Constitution, retained the residual powers of government not delegated