CHICAGO -- Stunned and nearly speechless after hearing the verdicts against him, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will wake up Tuesday to the stark reality that he is likely headed to federal prison within months, leaving behind his wife, two young daughters and comfortable home in a leafy Chicago neighborhood.

A jury convicted him Monday on 17 charges, including trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and attempting to shake down executives for campaign cash. The convictions carry a combined maximum prison sentence of around 300 years, but legal experts say a federal judge is likely to send him away for around a decade, give or take a few years.

An irrepressible Blagojevich had said before the retrial began that he refused to even contemplate the prospect of prison. But red-eyed, his face drawn and frowning, he hurried out of the courthouse after the verdict was read.

The broke and impeached ex-governor told reporters that he and his wife, Patti, "have to get home to our little girls and talk to them and explain things to them and then try to sort things out." His two daughters are 8 and 14.

Uncharacteristically, the 54-year-old Democrat had little more to say, adding only that he was stunned by the verdict.

"Well, among the many lessons I've learned from this whole experience is to try to speak a little bit less, so I'm going to keep my remarks kind of short," Blagojevich said.

He is almost certain to appeal the convictions, and his defense attorneys filed a number of motions to lay the groundwork for that.

If he does end up in prison, Blagojevich would follow a path well-trodden by Illinois governors, including Blagojevich's predecessor, former Republican Gov. George Ryan – now serving 6 1/2 years in a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind.

In Illinois's book of political infamy, though, Blagojevich's chapter may go down as the most ignominious because of the allegations he effectively tried to hock an appointment to Obama's Senate seat for campaign cash or a job.

Blagojevich will probably receive around 10 years in prison, with little chance he would get more than 15, said former Chicago-based federal prosecutor Jeff Cramer said. Another former prosecutor, Phil Turner, said Judge James Zagel might look to Ryan's sentence and mete out a similar one for Blagojevich.

Zagel did not set a sentencing date, but Gal Pissetzky, a Chicago attorney who defends clients in federal court, said it's likely Blagojevich would be sentenced late this year. When he is, Pissetzky said there is a chance he could end up serving in the same prison as George Ryan.

The verdict, coming after his first trial ended last year with the jury deadlocked on most charges, was a bitter defeat for Blagojevich, who spent 2 1/2 years professing his innocence on reality TV shows and later on the witness stand. His defense team insisted that hours of FBI wiretap recordings were just the ramblings of a politician who liked to think out loud.

After hearing the verdict, Blagojevich turned to defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky and asked "What happened?" His wife, Patti, slumped against her brother, then rushed into her husband's arms.

Before the decision was read, the couple looked flushed, and the former governor blew his wife a kiss across the courtroom, then stood expressionless, with his hands clasped tightly.

The verdict capped a long-running spectacle in which Blagojevich became famous for blurting on a recorded phone call that his ability to appoint Obama's successor to the Senate was "f---ing golden" and that he wouldn't let it go "for f---ing nothing."

The case exploded into scandal when Blagojevich was awakened by federal agents on Dec. 9, 2008, at his Chicago home and was led away in handcuffs. Federal prosecutors had been investigating his administration for years, and some of his closest cronies had already been convicted.

Blagojevich was swiftly impeached and removed from office.

The verdict provided affirmation to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, one of the nation's most prominent prosecutors, who, after the governor's arrest, had condemned Blagojevich's dealings as a "political corruption crime spree."

The key question for the jury was whether to accept the defense suggestion that Blagojevich's activities amounted to "the kind of political wheeling and dealing that is common in Illinois and around the country."

"That," said Fitzgerald, his voice rising, "couldn't be any further from the truth. ... Selling a Senate seat, shaking down a children's hospital and squeezing a person to give money before you sign a bill that benefits them is not a gray area. It's a crime."

Fitzgerald pledged to retry the governor after the first jury failed to reach a decision on all but the least serious of 24 charges against him.

The jury voted to convict on 17 of 20 counts after deliberating nine days heading into Monday. Blagojevich also faces up to five additional years in prison for his previous conviction of lying to the FBI; Pissetzky said Zagel would almost certainly sentence Zagel for all the convictions at once.

Judges have enormous discretion in sentencing and can factor in a host of variables, including whether a defendant took the stand and lied. Prosecutors have said that Blagojevich did just that.

Blagojevich was acquitted of soliciting bribes in the alleged shakedown of a road-building executive. The jury deadlocked on two charges of attempted extortion related to that executive and funding for a school.

Zagel has barred Blagojevich from traveling outside the area without permission. A status hearing to discuss sentencing was set for Aug. 1.

All 12 jurors – 11 women and one man – spoke to reporters after the verdict, identifying themselves only by juror numbers. Their full names were to be released Tuesday.

Jurors said the evidence that Blagojevich tried to secure a high-paying, high-powered position in exchange for the appointment of Obama's successor in the Senate was the clearest in the case.

"There was so much more evidence to go on," said Juror No. 140. Jury members said they listened and re-listened to recordings of Blagojevich's phone conversations with aides. They also acknowledged finding the former governor likable.

"He was personable," Juror No. 103 said. "It made it hard to separate what we actively had to do as jurors."

Richard Kling, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law who watched much of the trial, said the defense had no choice but to put Blagojevich on the stand, even though doing so was risky.

"The problem was with some of his explanations," Kling said. "It reminded me of a little kid who gets his hand caught in a cookie jar. He says, `Mommy I wasn't taking the cookies. I was just trying to protect them and to count them.'"

___

Associated Press Writer Don Babwin contributed to this report.

AP - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is returning to Iowa for the first time in seven months, this time to attend the premiere of a documentary about her time as governor and her ascent as a national political figure.

AP - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is returning to Iowa for the first time in seven months, this time to attend the premiere of a documentary about her time as governor and her ascent as a national political figure.

AP - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is returning to Iowa for the first time in seven months, this time to attend the premiere of a documentary about her time as governor and her ascent as a national political figure.

AP - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is returning to Iowa for the first time in seven months, this time to attend the premiere of a documentary about her time as governor and her ascent as a national political figure.

How devoutly does Jon Huntsman practice his Mormon faith?

It’s a topic the former Utah governor has been regularly quizzed about in the two months since he returned to the U.S. from China. While he identifies himself as a Mormon, he has been reluctant to divulge much in the way of details.

Take his response in South Carolina last week to a question about his faith. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Huntsman said: “I believe in God. Good Christian. I’m very proud of my Mormon roots.”

For Huntsman, it was a typically ambiguous answer. Whereas Mitt Romney decided in 2007 to take critics of Mormonism head-on with a major speech that drew comparisons to John F. Kennedy’s speech about Catholicism in 1960, Huntsman appears to be downplaying his Mormonism.

It might be a good strategic decision: A Gallup poll released last week indicated that 18 percent of Republicans would not vote for a Mormon. If either Romney or Huntsman wins the nomination, the GOP candidate will face even more opposition, with 19 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats opposed to voting for a Mormon.

Right now, Huntsman seems to be walking a delicate tightrope on faith-related questions. He told Time in an interview last month that he was “proud of his Mormon roots.” Asked if he was still a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Huntsman said, “That’s tough to define. There are varying degrees. I come from a long line of saloon keepers and proselytizers, and I draw from both sides.”

Also in May, responding to a question from a viewer on Good Morning America about whether he considered himself a “practicing Mormon,” Huntsman said, “I believe in God. I’m a good Christian. I’m very proud of my Mormon heritage. I am Mormon. Today, there are 13 million Mormons. It’s a very diverse and heterogeneous cross-section of people.”

Last year, Huntsman told Fortune that he receives “satisfaction from many different types of religions and philosophies” and doesn’t consider himself to be “overly religious.” (A New York Times article last week noted that Huntsman’s comments to Fortune made a splash in his home state; “many Utahans can recite from memory” Huntsman’s quote, according to the Times.) In March, the Washington Post reported that “Huntsman’s relatives and friends describe him frequently as an independent thinker, unbeholden to any church or party doctrine,” and that “many Republicans faithful to the church in Utah dismissed Huntsman as a ‘Jack Mormon,’ a derogatory term referring to a non-practicing Mormon.”

In Huntsman’s personal life, there are signs that he does not strictly adhere to Mormon practices. While Mormons are forbidden to consume alcohol, Huntsman occasionally drank the bajisu liquor that is “mandatory” at official dinners in China, according to RealClearWorld.com. (The report added, however, that Huntsman would discreetly try to switch to water after his first glass.) The Huntsmans’ second daughter, 25-year-old Abby, was married last year at the (Episcopal) National Cathedral, with the dean of the cathedral performing the ceremony. During his first weekend home from China, Huntsman chose to attend a non-denominational church in South Carolina rather than any of the Mormon temples in the area.

On the other hand, Huntsman as a young man served as Mormon missionary in Taiwan. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who served as Governor Huntsman’s first chief of staff, told the Salt Lake Tribune that Huntsman would periodically attend LDS services, and the he took time during his 2004 campaign to teach religion classes. Huntsman’s presidential campaign has made efforts to quash assumptions that he isn’t a practicing Mormon: In the wake of his remarks to Time, spokesman Tim Miller told the Desert News (a Utah paper) that Huntsman “remains a member of the church and proud to be part of the fabric of a large, vibrant faith.”

For Huntsman, the plan so far appears to be acknowledging his faith but refusing to let it dominate how the public perceives him. With no indication that he has a Jeremiah Wright–style controversy in his past, it’s a strategy that might just work.

— Katrina Trinko is an NRO reporter.

Correction: The sentence “Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, are raising their five-year-old adopted daughter from India, Asha, in the Hindu faith she was born into, reports the Salt Lake Tribune” has been removed from this piece.  CNN, which reported the same fact last week, was told by the Huntsman campaign that Asha is not being raised in the Hindu faith, although Jon and Mary Kaye Huntsman are raising her “to learn about and appreciate her native culture and the faiths associated with it.”

How devoutly does Jon Huntsman practice his Mormon faith?

It’s a topic the former Utah governor has been regularly quizzed about in the two months since he returned to the U.S. from China. While he identifies himself as a Mormon, he has been reluctant to divulge much in the way of details.

Take his response in South Carolina last week to a question about his faith. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Huntsman said: “I believe in God. Good Christian. I’m very proud of my Mormon roots.”

For Huntsman, it was a typically ambiguous answer. Whereas Mitt Romney decided in 2007 to take critics of Mormonism head-on with a major speech that drew comparisons to John F. Kennedy’s speech about Catholicism in 1960, Huntsman appears to be downplaying his Mormonism.

It might be a good strategic decision: A Gallup poll released last week indicated that 18 percent of Republicans would not vote for a Mormon. If either Romney or Huntsman wins the nomination, the GOP candidate will face even more opposition, with 19 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats opposed to voting for a Mormon.

Right now, Huntsman seems to be walking a delicate tightrope on faith-related questions. He told Time in an interview last month that he was “proud of his Mormon roots.” Asked if he was still a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Huntsman said, “That’s tough to define. There are varying degrees. I come from a long line of saloon keepers and proselytizers, and I draw from both sides.”

Also in May, responding to a question from a viewer on Good Morning America about whether he considered himself a “practicing Mormon,” Huntsman said, “I believe in God. I’m a good Christian. I’m very proud of my Mormon heritage. I am Mormon. Today, there are 13 million Mormons. It’s a very diverse and heterogeneous cross-section of people.”

Last year, Huntsman told Fortune that he receives “satisfaction from many different types of religions and philosophies” and doesn’t consider himself to be “overly religious.” (A New York Times article last week noted that Huntsman’s comments to Fortune made a splash in his home state; “many Utahans can recite from memory” Huntsman’s quote, according to the Times.) In March, the Washington Post reported that “Huntsman’s relatives and friends describe him frequently as an independent thinker, unbeholden to any church or party doctrine,” and that “many Republicans faithful to the church in Utah dismissed Huntsman as a ‘Jack Mormon,’ a derogatory term referring to a non-practicing Mormon.”

In Huntsman’s personal life, there are signs that he does not strictly adhere to Mormon practices. While Mormons are forbidden to consume alcohol, Huntsman occasionally drank the bajisu liquor that is “mandatory” at official dinners in China, according to RealClearWorld.com. (The report added, however, that Huntsman would discreetly try to switch to water after his first glass.) Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, are raising their five-year-old adopted daughter from India, Asha, in the Hindu faith she was born into, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. The Huntsmans’ second daughter, 25-year-old Abby, was married last year at the (Episcopal) National Cathedral, with the dean of the cathedral performing the ceremony. During his first weekend home from China, Huntsman chose to attend a non-denominational church in South Carolina rather than any of the Mormon temples in the area.

On the other hand, Huntsman as a young man served as Mormon missionary in Taiwan. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who served as Governor Huntsman’s first chief of staff, told the Salt Lake Tribune that Huntsman would periodically attend LDS services, and the he took time during his 2004 campaign to teach religion classes. Huntsman’s presidential campaign has made efforts to quash assumptions that he isn’t a practicing Mormon: In the wake of his remarks to Time, spokesman Tim Miller told the Desert News (a Utah paper) that Huntsman “remains a member of the church and proud to be part of the fabric of a large, vibrant faith.”

For Huntsman, the plan so far appears to be acknowledging his faith but refusing to let it dominate how the public perceives him. With no indication that he has a Jeremiah Wright–style controversy in his past, it’s a strategy that might just work.

— Katrina Trinko is an NRO reporter.

How devoutly does Jon Huntsman practice his Mormon faith?

It’s a topic the former Utah governor has been regularly quizzed about in the two months since he returned to the U.S. from China. While he identifies himself as a Mormon, he has been reluctant to divulge much in the way of details.

Take his response in South Carolina last week to a question about his faith. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Huntsman said: “I believe in God. Good Christian. I’m very proud of my Mormon roots.”

For Huntsman, it was a typically ambiguous answer. Whereas Mitt Romney decided in 2007 to take critics of Mormonism head-on with a major speech that drew comparisons to John F. Kennedy’s speech about Catholicism in 1960, Huntsman appears to be downplaying his Mormonism.

It might be a good strategic decision: A Gallup poll released last week indicated that 18 percent of Republicans would not vote for a Mormon. If either Romney or Huntsman wins the nomination, the GOP candidate will face even more opposition, with 19 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats opposed to voting for a Mormon.

Right now, Huntsman seems to be walking a delicate tightrope on faith-related questions. He told Time in an interview last month that he was “proud of his Mormon roots.” Asked if he was still a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Huntsman said, “That’s tough to define. There are varying degrees. I come from a long line of saloon keepers and proselytizers, and I draw from both sides.”

Also in May, responding to a question from a viewer on Good Morning America about whether he considered himself a “practicing Mormon,” Huntsman said, “I believe in God. I’m a good Christian. I’m very proud of my Mormon heritage. I am Mormon. Today, there are 13 million Mormons. It’s a very diverse and heterogeneous cross-section of people.”

Last year, Huntsman told Fortune that he receives “satisfaction from many different types of religions and philosophies” and doesn’t consider himself to be “overly religious.” (A New York Times article last week noted that Huntsman’s comments to Fortune made a splash in his home state; “many Utahans can recite from memory” Huntsman’s quote, according to the Times.) In March, the Washington Post reported that “Huntsman’s relatives and friends describe him frequently as an independent thinker, unbeholden to any church or party doctrine,” and that “many Republicans faithful to the church in Utah dismissed Huntsman as a ‘Jack Mormon,’ a derogatory term referring to a non-practicing Mormon.”

In Huntsman’s personal life, there are signs that he does not strictly adhere to Mormon practices. While Mormons are forbidden to consume alcohol, Huntsman occasionally drank the bajisu liquor that is “mandatory” at official dinners in China, according to RealClearWorld.com. (The report added, however, that Huntsman would discreetly try to switch to water after his first glass.) The Huntsmans’ second daughter, 25-year-old Abby, was married last year at the (Episcopal) National Cathedral, with the dean of the cathedral performing the ceremony. During his first weekend home from China, Huntsman chose to attend a non-denominational church in South Carolina rather than any of the Mormon churches in the area.

On the other hand, Huntsman as a young man served as Mormon missionary in Taiwan. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who served as Governor Huntsman’s first chief of staff, told the Salt Lake Tribune that Huntsman would periodically attend LDS services, and the he took time during his 2004 campaign to teach religion classes. Huntsman’s presidential campaign has made efforts to quash assumptions that he isn’t a practicing Mormon: In the wake of his remarks to Time, spokesman Tim Miller told the Deseret News (a Utah paper) that Huntsman “remains a member of the church and proud to be part of the fabric of a large, vibrant faith.”

For Huntsman, the plan so far appears to be acknowledging his faith but refusing to let it dominate how the public perceives him. With no indication that he has a Jeremiah Wright–style controversy in his past, it’s a strategy that might just work.

— Katrina Trinko is an NRO reporter.

Correction: The sentence “Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, are raising their five-year-old adopted daughter from India, Asha, in the Hindu faith she was born into, reports the Salt Lake Tribune” has been removed from this piece.  CNN, which reported the same fact last week, was told by the Huntsman campaign that Asha is not being raised in the Hindu faith, although Jon and Mary Kaye Huntsman are raising her “to learn about and appreciate her native culture and the faiths associated with it.” Desert News has been switched to Deseret News, and a reference to Mormon “temples” was switched to Mormon “churches.”

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) formally declared her candidacy for president of the United States on Monday. Lawmakers in Washington are still working to negotiate a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling on a tight deadline. And on a different front, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich (D) was found guilty of corruption on seventeen counts.

Below, all of that and more, in a rundown of your day in politics news.

WATCH:

AFP - Ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty of trying to auction off President Barack Obama's vacated US senate seat and a host of other corruption charges.

AFP - Ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty of trying to auction off President Barack Obama's vacated US senate seat and a host of other corruption charges.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who won two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

CHICAGO -- Jurors among those who convicted Rod Blagojevich of corruption Monday said they found the former Illinois governor personable, but had to set that aside to consider what they found to be clear evidence that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

All 12 jurors – 11 women and one man – met with reporters after the verdict in a spare courtroom. They identified themselves only by their juror numbers, noting that their full names will be released Tuesday. Four alternates also sat in on the news conference but didn't take questions.

Jurors said the evidence that Blagojevich tried to secure a high-paying, high-powered position in exchange for an appointment to Obama's seat in the Senate was the most clear.

"There was so much more evidence to go on," said Juror No. 140. Jurors said they listened and re-listened to tape recordings of Blagojevich's phone conversations with aides as he discussed ways to ask for a Cabinet post or government job in exchange for naming Obama's preferred candidate for the Senate.

Jurors said they feel confident they reached a fair verdict and acknowledged that it was difficult to convict Blagojevich, who they said they found likable.

"He was personable," said Juror 103. "It made it hard to separate what we actively had to do as jurors."

Still, Juror 140 said she found Blagojevich's testimony over seven days at times "manipulative."

"Our verdict shows that we didn't believe it," she said.

Jurors said their deliberations were respectful and productive, and in a statement read by the forewoman, they said they felt "privileged to be part of our federal judicial system."

The forewoman, a retired director of music and liturgy at a church, called the jury "an amazing group of people."

"They did such due diligence," she said. "They were so wanting to keep innocent until proven guilty."

Jurors said they hope their verdict sends a message to public officials not to take the people's trust lightly.

The forewoman, who was Juror No. 146, joked that she told her husband if he's considering a career in politics, he'd have to find a new wife.

AP - Jurors among those who convicted Rod Blagojevich of corruption Monday said they found the former Illinois governor personable, but had to set that aside to consider what they found to be clear evidence that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who rode his talkative everyman image to two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including the incendiary allegation that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who rode his talkative everyman image to two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including the incendiary allegation that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat.

AP - Rod Blagojevich, who rode his talkative everyman image to two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including the incendiary allegation that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat.