As we see Republican recruitment go gangbusters — three cycles’ worth of potential candidates finally jumping in officially — we’re seeing Democrats getting cautious about pursuing higher office.

In Utah, Rep. Jim Matheson has decided he’ll run for reelection to Congress and won’t seek the Democratic Party’s nomination to become Utah’s governor in 2010.

In North Carolina, five prominent Democrats have turned down a campaign against Sen. Richard Burr.

In Florida’s Senate race, you have two top-tier Republicans, Gov. Charlie Crist and former state house speaker Marco Rubio (more on him later), going up against a field of largely unknown Democrats. Probably the best-known candidate is Rep. Kendrick Meek, a member of Congress who has never faced a Republican opponent and who has a lifetime ACU rating of 7.32.

In Illinois, the top candidate for Obama’s old Senate seat is likely to be a 30-year-old who’s held public office since January 2007.

However, every once in a while, you are seeing Republicans taking a pass on running for higher office. In Connecticut, state senate minority leader John McKinney has decided not to challenge freshman U.S. congressman Jim Himes.