Those who claim not to vote for a carpetbagger must realize that to downstaters, everyone out of Chicago is from another planet. Keyes will get much downstate support.
I'm not up on IL voting trends or patterns... I have no doubt that the big city vs the rural/small communites patterns exist. I also assume that a statewide race requires some crossover votes plus independents and the retention of a large portion of the GOP party. I hope the campaign can approach the race trying to secure the votes from the different and diverse sectors. It has to be an inclusive campaign and not exclusive, imo.
Good luck and work at it no matter how small your efforts may seem.