The Chicago Tribune reports that Democratic Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez “told Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday that he wants to be appointed Illinois’ next U.S. senator but would not seek election to the post — a critical caveat that bucks what many Democratic leaders want from a replacement for President-elect Barack Obama .” Gutierrez said in a statement: “Gov. Blagojevich shared with me today that he was very interested in me as a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat, but that his preference is to appoint someone who will run for a full term in 2010.” Blagojevich, a Democrat, gets to appoint Obama’s replacement, and he says he will make a decision around Christmas.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “a whirlwind of political activity has begun to swirl around Georgia’s closely watched Dec. 2 U.S. Senate runoff” between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin. “Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will fly into town next week. Former Republican New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani showed up Tuesday, as did Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who urged college students to ‘make history,’” the newspaper reported. The race is key because a Democratic victory would move the party closer to a 60-vote supermajority in the Senate. “The resulting showdown has brought an ongoing parade of political bigshots to Georgia,” along with hundreds of volunteers and millions of dollars in advertisements, according to the Journal-Constitution.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine , a Democrat, has no plans to offer a holiday endorsement of any candidates for the state’s 2009 gubernatorial election. “I’m going to be neutral in this race,“ Kaine said Tuesday, according to the newspaper. The top three potential candidates are state Del. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria, state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County and former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe.