[1] In the 1976 general election, Republican incumbent Brian Duff opted to run for a judgeship in the Cook County Circuit Court.
Keats was elected as one of three members, with John Porter and Harold Katz, from the 1st district to serve in the 80th General Assembly.
Local Republican leaders appointed Representative-elect Keats to the Illinois House to serve during the veto session of the 79th General Assembly.
In the 1978 general election, Republican Keats defeated Democratic candidate Cathleen Quinn O'Rourke to succeed Glass in the Illinois Senate.
In the 1992 general election, Keats lost the Republican-friendly 29th district to Democratic State Representative Grace Mary Stern.