Monday’s political round-up

My new daily feature about campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may nevertheless be of interest to political observers:

* Asa Hutchinson (R) surprised absolutely no one over the weekend by announcing that he will run for Arkansas governor next year. Hutchinson, a former congressman and former undersecretary of Homeland Security, will face Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller in a GOP primary. The leading Dem candidate, at this point, is Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe.

* After entirely too much speculation, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruled out a White House run in 2008. Since Rice describes herself as “mildly pro-choice,” it’s hard to see how she’d get the nomination anyway.

* In some GOP circles, speculation about a possible presidential bid by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is increasingly common. Grover Norquist said Pawlenty has caught the eye of elite conservative decision makers and described him as being “right up there” among the top 12 leading candidates for 2008.

* With Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) having announced his retirement, a veritable legion of Dems are openly considering the race, including five of the state’s six Democratic House Members (Cummings, Cardin, Ruppersberger, Van Hollen, and Wynn) and former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. Also in the mix is Prince George’s County States Attorney Glenn Ivey (D), a former Sarbanes aide. (Update: Mfume is officially in the race.)

* The flap surrounding DNC Chairman Howard Dean’s sealed gubernatorial papers — a controversy Dean has been dealing with for a very long time — will go before Vermont’s Supreme Court this week.