Sebelius expects to be busy before election

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 28, 2008 by Jan Biles

By Jan Biles

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

DENVER -- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said she will play the role of surrogate in the campaign to elect Sen. Barack Obama to the presidency after the Democratic National Convention is over.

Sebelius made her remarks Wednesday morning during a brief meeting with reporters after sorting medical supplies at Project CURE in Denver.

Sebelius said she is receiving calls daily to speak in other states and has turned down about half of those requests.

"I assume I'll be back on the road," she said.

Before that, though, Sebelius said she is looking forward to getting back to work in Kansas.

Asked if she was interested in running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sam Brownback, Sebelius said she had two years left as governor and was "looking at the end of this week" -- not at 2010.

"I'm not considering it at all," she said.

Sebelius also said she hadn't had any discussions about a Cabinet position if Obama is elected president.

"I'm not looking for a new job," she said.

On Wednesday morning at a breakfast session with the Kansas delegation, Sebelius told the delegates they needed to work hard to get Democrats elected to the Legislature, as well as the U.S. House and Senate. She said they could help by making sure people in their communities knew who the candidates were and where they stood on the issues.

"This is the most important election in our lifetime," she said. "At this time, a lot of people know more about the Olympics than the election."

Jan Biles can be reached at (785) 295-1292 or jan.biles@cjonline.com.