Kathleen Sebelius

Infobox Governor
name= Kathleen Sebelius


caption=
order= 44^th
office= Governor of Kansas
term_start= January 13, 2003
term_end=
lieutenant= John E. Moore, Mark Parkinson
predecessor= Bill Graves
successor= Incumbent
birth_date= birth date and age|1948|05|15
birth_place= Cincinnati, Ohio
residence= Topeka, Kansas
alma_mater= Trinity Washington University, University of Kansas
spouse= Gary Sebelius
profession= Insurance Executive, Governor
party= Democrat
religion= Roman Catholic
footnotes=

Kathleen Sebelius (née Gilligan)(born May 15, 1948) is currently serving as the 44th Governor of Kansas. [cite web|title=Governor Kathleen Sebelius Biography|url=http://www.governor.ks.gov/about/bio.htm|accessdate=October 2006] She is the second female governor of Kansas, the 2008 respondent to the State of the Union address, [cite web|title=Response to the 2008 State of the Union address|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/28/dems.response/index.html#cnnSTCVideo] and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association.

Sebelius has endorsed Democratic candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. [ CNN. [http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/20/candidates.vp/index.html "Speculation, anticipation as Obama's VP announcement nears"] , August 20, 2008.]

Early life and family

Sebelius was born Kathleen Gilligan and raised in a Roman Catholic family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, followed by Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., and later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas. She moved to Kansas in 1974, where she served for eight years as a representative in the Kansas Legislature and eight years as Insurance Commissioner before being elected governor.

Sebelius is the daughter of former Ohio governor John J. Gilligan, and thus they became the first father/daughter governor pair in the United States after her election. [cite web|title=Meet Kathleen|url=http://www.ksgovernor.com/ShowPage.asp?page=bio.asp|accessdate=October 2006] Her husband K. Gary Sebelius [cite web |url=http://www.ksd.uscourts.gov/chambers/showjudge.php?judgeid=19 |title=Magistrate Judge K. Gary Sebelius |accessdate=2008-05-02 |format=HTML |work=U.S. District Court, District of Kansas |publisher=U.S. Government] is a federal magistrate judge and the son of former U.S. Representative Keith Sebelius, a Republican. They have two sons. She also visits her childhood and current vacation home, located in Leland, Michigan, north of Traverse City, Michigan.

Early political career

She was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1986. In 1994 she left the House to run for state insurance commissioner and stunned political forecasters by winningndash the first time a Democrat had won in more than 100 years. She is credited with bringing the agency out from under the influence of the insurance industry. She refused to take campaign contributions from insurers and blocked the proposed merger of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the state's largest health insurer, with an Indiana-based company. The decision by Sebelius marked the first time the corporation had been rebuffed in its acquisition attempts."cite news
title=Political Women Go Hunting
date=October 27, 2004
publisher=National Wild Turkey Federation
url=http://www.nwtf.org/nwtf_newsroom/press_releases.php?id=11289]

Governorship

First Term

2002 Election

Sebelius defeated Republican Tim Shallenburger in the 2002 election by a vote of 53%-45%. [cite web|title=State Races: Kansas|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2002/pages/states/KS/index.html] Her victory was partially the result of a divide between conservatives and moderates within the Kansas Republican Party. [cite news |first=Amanda |last=Ripley |authorlink= |coauthors=Karen Tumulty |title=America's 5 Best Governors |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129494,00.html |work=Time |date=November 13, 2005 |accessdate=2008-05-05 ] This divide is touched upon in Thomas Frank's bestseller "What's the Matter with Kansas?". Since winning the election, Sebelius has successfully built upon her popularity and, as of January 2006, was tied for the 12th most popular governor in the country. [SurveyUSA (2006). [http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/50StateGovernor060214State.htm Governor Approval Ratings 01/06 Sort by State] . Retrieved April 25, 2006.]

econd Term

2006 Re-Election

On May 26, 2006 Sebelius formally announced her candidacy for re-election. Four days later, Mark Parkinson, former Kansas state GOP Party Chair, switched his party affiliation to Democratic; the following day Sebelius announced that Parkinson would be her running mate for Lieutenant Governor. Parkinson had previously served in the state House during 1991–1992 and the Senate during 1993–1997. Parkinson was viewed as a pro-business moderate who strongly supported public education. This was somewhat reminiscent of the fact that John Moore had also been a Republican, before switching just days prior to joining Sebelius as her running mate. [cite news
first=David
last=Twitty
title=Kan. gov. selects running mate for race
date=May 31, 2006
publisher=AP
url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1134AP_Kansas_Governors_Race.html]

She was challenged by Republican Kansas State Senator Jim Barnett. A September 1 Rasmussen poll showed Sebelius with an 11 percent lead over Barnett. [ [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/August%202006/KansasGovernor.htm Rasmussen Reports: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a mid-term election ] ] Other polls gave Sebelius as much as a 20 percent lead. As of 2004, 50 percent of Kansas voters were registered Republicans, compared to 27 percent as registered Democrats. [ [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/KS/P/00/ CNN.com Election 2004 ] ] Sebelius, nevertheless, won a landslide re-electionndash with 57.8 percentndash of the vote to Barnett's 40.5 percent. Because of Kansas' term limit law, her second term as Governor is her last.

Recognition

In 2001 Sebelius was named as one of "Governing Magazine's" Public Officials of the Year while she was serving as Kansas Insurance Commissioner. [cite news |last=Gurwitt |first=Rob |title=Kathleen Sebelius: Believer in Balance |date=November 2001 |publisher=Governing Magazine |url=http://governing.com/poy/2001/1sebel.htm]

In November 2005, "Time" named Sebelius as one of the five best governors in America, praising her for eliminating a $1.1 billion debt she inherited, ferreting out waste in state government, and strongly supporting public educationndash all without raising taxes, although she proposed raising sales, property, and income taxes [ [http://legislature.cjonline.com/stories/011304/leg_stateofstate.shtml Please log in, or sign up for access ] ] . Also praised was her bipartisan approach to governing, a useful trait in a state where Republicans have usually controlled the Legislature. [Time (2006). [http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1129537,00.html America's 5 Best Governors: Kathleen Sebelius |Kansas] . Retrieved April 25, 2006.]

In February 2006, the White House Project named Sebelius one of its "8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly run and/or be elected president in 2008. [The White House Project (2006). [http://198.65.255.167/v2/press/2006/February/20060216-8for08pressrel.html] Retrieved March 19, 2008.]

peculation on political future

During the 2004 election, Sebelius was named as a potential running mate for John Kerry. [CNN (2004). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/elections/2004/veepomatic_bios.htm#SebeliusK John Kerry campaign: Democratic candidates for vice president] . Retrieved April 25, 2006. See also CNN (2004). [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/veepstakes/misc/story1.html#womensbracket WHO WILL JOHN KERRY PICK AS HIS RUNNING MATE?] . Retrieved April 25, 2006.] In the aftermath of Kerry's defeat, some pundits named Sebelius as a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008. [cite news |title=The 2008 Veepstakes |url=http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_2008_veepstakes] After Barack Obama's clinching of the nomination in June 2008, speculation that she would be a contender for the vice-presidential slot on the Democratic ticket continued. [cite news |last=Zerger Nathan |first=Jesse |title=Will Kansas Governor Be Dems VP Candidate in 2008? |date=24 April, 2006 |publisher=BeyondChron |url=http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=3187] The "Washington Post" listed her as the top prospect for the 2008 nomination. [Cillizza, Chris and Shailagh Murray. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/10/AR2008051002261.html?hpid=topnews "So, Candidates, Who's It Going to Be?"] , "Washington Post", May 11, 2008.] James Carville and Bob Novak also mentioned Sebelius' name, [ [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/05/13/carville-obama-likely-to-win-nomination/ "Political Ticker"] , "CNN", May 13, 2008.] [ [http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_robert_d_novak/a_vice_president_for_abortion A Vice President For Abortion] ] and Wesley Clark, also considered a potential running mate, publicly endorsed Sebelius, referring to her as "the next vice-president of the United States." [ [http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/06/03/sebelius-obamas-vp/ Sebelius Obama's VP? - Political Machine ] ] Speculation that the Vice Presidential nomination lay in her future was heightened by the fact that she was chosen by the Democratic Party's congressional leaders to give their party's official response to Republican President George W. Bush's 2008 State of the Union Address. [Carpenter, Tim. [http://www.cjonline.com/stories/011608/kan_237061119.shtml "Sebelius to give response to State of the Union, Governor represents Democratic Party in opposition speech"] , "Topeka Capital-Journal", January 16, 2008.] The next day, she endorsed Obama's campaign, one week before the Kansas caucus on Super Tuesday. [cite news |first=Associated Press |title=Kansas Gov. Sebelius Endorses Obama, Governor Represents GOP-Friendly State Where Candidate Has Family Ties |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/29/politics/main3765253.shtml |publisher=CBS News |date=January 29, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-14 ] Obama won the caucus easily, with 74% support. [ [http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/477555.html "Obama wins Kansas Caucus"] , "Kansas City Star"]

Speculation on her Vice Presidential selection intensified when a report from political ad agency insider, Tribble Ad Agency, reported on its website that the Obama Campaign owns the domain name "ObamaSebelius.COM" through the GoDaddy.com registration service. [ [http://www.tribbleagency.com/?p=1747 "Barack Obama chooses Kathleen Sebelius for Vice President"] , August 18, 2008.] However, just after midnight on August 23, it was reported by the Associated Press that Obama ultimately selected Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, as his running mate. [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/23/biden.democrat.vp.candidate/index.html]

Sebelius is a former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a popular launchpad for those with national political ambitions. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/28/AR2007012800388.html Kan. governor draws national attention,] by John Hanna, Associated Press. Retrieved January 28, 2007] In 2007, she traveled to Istanbul to attend the annual Bilderberg Group meeting. [ [http://www.bilderberg.org/bilderberg2007.pdf Bilderberg Group list of attendees] ]

Political positions

Abortion

Sebelius is pro-choice and opposed to efforts to eliminate or reduce abortions primarily by criminalizing abortion procedures. [cite news |first=Tim Rutten |last=Rutten |authorlink=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-columnist-rutten,0,2573785.columnist |title=The rebirth of abortion: With an absurd attack on a Democratic rising star who's Catholic, the right is once again seizing on the issue |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rutten28-2008may28,0,5565000.column |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=May 28, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-10 ] Sebelius' office states that abortions have declined 8.5 percent during her tenure as governor. [cite news |first=Chris Cillizza|last=Cillizza |authorlink=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2005/09/about_chris_cillizza.html |title=Novak Takes A Swipe At Possible Obama VP Pick |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/05/veepstakes_novak_on_sebelius.html |publisher=Washington Post |date=June 5, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-10 ] According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment statistics, the number of induced abortions in Kansas declined by 1,568, or 12.6 percent, from 2001 to 2007, the year of the most recently available statistics. [cite news |title=Abortions in Kansas: Preliminary Reports |url=http://www.kdheks.gov/hci/absumm.html |work=Office of Health Assessment, Kansas Department of Health and Environment |publisher=Kansas Department of Health and Environment |accessdate=2008-06-10 ] Her administration attributes the decline to health care reforms that Sebelius initiated, including "adoption incentives, extended health services for pregnant women..., sex education and... a variety of support services for families."cite news |first=Nicole |last=Corcoran |title=Veto Message for House Substitute for Senate Bill 389 |url=http://www.governor.ks.gov/news/newsrelease/2008/nr-08-0421a.htm |work=Office of the Governor, State of Kansas |publisher=Office of the Governor, State of Kansas |date=April 21, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-10 ] Nationally, the number of abortions declined approximately 7.6 percent from 2000 to 2005, the year of the most recently available and reliable U.S. statistics. [cite news |title=U.S. Abortion Rate Continues Long-Term Decline, Falling to Lowest Level Since 1974; More Effort Still Needed to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy |url=http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2008/01/17/index.html |first=Rebecca |last=Wind |work=Guttmacher Institute Media Center |publisher=Guttmacher Institute |date=January 17, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-10 ]

Sebelius has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and they have conducted fundraising activity on her behalf. [cite news |first=Robert Novak |last=Novak |authorlink=http://www.suntimes.com/news/novak/index.html |title=A Vice President for Abortion |url=http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_robert_d_novak/a_vice_president_for_abortion |work=Chicago Sun-Times |publisher=Sun-Times News Group |date=May 26, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-26 ] Sebelius vetoed abortion legislation in Kansas in 2003, 2005, 2006, and again in 2008.

On April 21, 2008, Sebelius vetoed House Substitute for Senate Bill 389, titled the "Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act" by its sponsors. Proponents of the bill claimed the legislation would strengthen late-term abortion laws and prevent "coerced abortions," particularly with respect to minors. The "Kansas City Star" reported that HS SB 389 would have required the State of Kansas to collect patient diagnostic information providing detailed medical justification for late-term abortions, and would have also permitted litigants to sue abortion providers if they thought that a relative of theirs was planning a late-term abortion in violation of Kansas law. [cite news |first=Jim |last=Sullinger |title=Kansas Senate fails to override veto of abortion law |url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/599260.html |work=The Kansas City Star |date=May 30, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-11] Sebelius objected to the constitutionality, efficacy and morality of the proposed legislation. She wrote, "The United States Supreme Court decisions make clear that any law regulating abortion must contain exceptions for pregnancies which endanger the woman's life or health. However, SB 389 allows a variety of individuals to seek a court order preventing a woman from obtaining an abortion, even where it may be necessary to save her life. I am concerned that the bill is unconstitutional or even worse, endangers the lives of women." In addition, she expressed concern that the bill would "likely encourage extensive litigation" and that it "unnecessarily jeopardizes the privacy of Kansas women's confidential medical records."

Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann has stated that Sebelius has a long record of supporting and advocating for legalized abortion and that her public stances have "grave spiritual and moral consequences." Naumann also asked that she no longer receive Holy Communion. Naumann criticized Sebelius for vetoing HS SB 389. [cite news |first=Dennis |last=Sadowski |title=Archbishop Naumann: Kansas governor should stop receiving Communion |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802605.htm |work=Catholic News Service |publisher=U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops |date=May 12, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-11 |quote= [Naumann] said many Kansans "find it more than an embarrassment" that the state had become "infamous for being the late-term abortion center for the Midwest." ]

Some members of the Catholic media object to the Archbishop's request that Sebelius not take communion. [cite news|title=Rigid bishops one-up the popes |url=http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1110 |work=National Catholic Reporter |date=May 30, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-11] [cite news |first=Patrick |last=Whelon |title=Conservatives gear up again to use Communion as a political weapon,, no matter the cost to American Catholicism |url=http://www.catholicdemocrats.org/news/2008/05/conservatives_gear_up_again_to.php |work=Catholic Democrats |date=May 14, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-11]

In September 2005, Sebelius donated a reception to be held at Cedar Crest, the official residence of the Governor, to an auction benefiting the Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus, a group that endorses only pro-choice candidates. [ [http://www.gkcwpc.org/endorsements/endorsements_start.php The Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus] ] At the auction, the manager of a Wichita clinic that specializes in late-term abortions, physician George Tiller, bid and won the gubernatorial reception. Tiller redeemed the prize and he and members of his staff dined with Sebelius at her home on April 7, 2007. [cite news |first=James |last=Carlson |title=Auction payment was late |url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/060308/sta_285721263.shtml |work=The Topeka Capital-Journal |date=2008-06-03 |accessdate=2008-06-10 ] [cite news |first=David |last=Klepper |title=Bill for Tiller event wasn't paid for a year |url=http://www.kansas.com/news/state/story/422786.html |work=The Wichita Eagle |date=2008-06-03 |accessdate=2008-06-10 ]

Education

Early in the term, Sebelius made education funding her top priority. Education funding reached a breaking point in the summer of 2005 when the Kansas Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase K–12 funding. [ [http://docs.newsbank.com.proxy.kclibrary.org/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:KCSB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=10AE02FF717CB785&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102A487387FF6ECA Passions cool as session looms - Few legislators say they'd defy court] "Kansas City Star" June 20, 2005 retrieved June 5, 2008] Sebelius offered one education funding plan early in her first term which consisted of property, sales, and income tax increases. Sebelius has since deferred to the Kansas legislature on education funding issues,Fact|date=May 2008 resulting in 2006 in the largest K–12 education funding increase in the history of the state. The three-year plan aimed to increase education funding by nearly $1 billion over three years but did not give a funding source for the second and third years. Current state projections show the state in debt by millions of dollars halfway into the second year of the plan.Fact|date=May 2008

Environment

Sebelius has also put environmental concerns at the top of her agenda. She pushed for more widespread recycling efforts across the state. [cite news
title=State Agency ‘Green Teams’ Focus on Recycling and Waste Reduction |date=March 4, 2008 |publisher=WBIW
url=http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/16243827.html] In addition, she vetoed bills authorizing the construction of coal-fired power plants on three separate occasions [cite news |title=Sebelius vetoes coal plant bill|date=May 16, 2008 |publisher=Kansas City Star
url=http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/623830.html] [cite news |title=What's not the matter with Kansas |date=July 10, 2008 |publisher=Grist Magazine |url=http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/7/10/145417/887] saying in March of 2008, "We know that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change. As an agricultural state, Kansas is particularly vulnerable. Therefore, reducing pollutants benefits our state not only in the short term – but also for generations of Kansans to come." [ [http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-21-01.asp Kansas Governor Rejects Two Coal-Fired Power Plants ] ] On June 2, 2008, Sebelius spoke at the American Wind Energy Association Conference, calling for greater federal support for wind energy and other renewable energy resources. [ [http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/jun/02/sebelius_calls_feds_step_development_wind_energy/ LJWorld.com / Sebelius calls on feds to step up development of wind energy ] ]

Guns

Sebelius has said she supports Kansans' right to own firearms, but does not believe a broad concealed carry law would make them safer: "I don't believe allowing people to carry concealed handguns into sporting events, shopping malls, grocery stores, or the workplace would be good public policy. And to me the likelihood of exposing children to loaded handguns in their parents' purses, pockets and automobiles is simply unacceptable." [cite news
title=Sebelius vetoes concealed carry bill |date=April 16, 2004 |publisher=AP
url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/apr/16/sebelius_vetoes_concealed/]

Sebelius vetoed, like her Republican predecessor Bill Graves, a concealed carry law that would have allowed citizens to carry concealed weapons after obtaining a state permit and passing an FBI background check. [USA Today (2005). [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-04-16-concealed-guns_x.htm Kansas governor vetoes concealed weapons bill] . Retrieved June 14, 2007.] The veto left Kansas, at the time, as one of four states without any form of a conceal-carry law.

On March 21, 2006, she vetoed Senate Bill 418, a similar concealed-carry bill. On March 25, Sebelius's veto was overturned after the Kansas House of Representatives voted 91–33 to override it. This followed the Kansas Senate's 30-10 override vote, which occurred the day after her veto. [Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline (2006). [http://www.accesskansas.org/ksag/Concealed_Weapon/Weapon.htm Kansas Concealed Weapon] . Retrieved April 25, 2006.]

On April 21, 2008, Sebelius signed Senate Bill 46 into law, which repealed a 1933 state law prohibiting civilian ownership of machine guns and other firearms restricted by the National Firearms Act of 1934 provided that any prospective civilian owner successfully meets the requirements of the NFA. The law was passed in part to address legal issues that could have prevented dealers from delivering firearms to law enforcement agencies in Kansas. The law took effect on July 1, 2008. [cite news
title=Sebelius signs machine gun bill | date=April 22, 2008 |publisher=AP |url=http://www.nbcactionnews.com/content/news/kansas/story.aspx?content_id=94c7bb5a-b5d0-43d1-badf-94b760c4984b]

Other issues

Sebelius did not support an April 2005 amendment to the Kansas Constitution that made same-sex marriage in the state unconstitutional. Sebelius said she supported the existing state law outlawing same-sex marriage, viewed it as sufficient, [cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/04/06/kansans_vote_to_ban_same_sex_marriage |title=Sebelius on gay marriage |publisher=Boston Globe |date=April 6, 2008 |accessdate=2005-06-05] and therefore opposed the constitutional amendment. The amendment passed with 70 percent voter approval.

Sebelius is an opponent of capital punishment. [cite web |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/kathleen_sebelius/index.html |title=Kathleen Sebelius Biography |accessdate=2008-07-14 |work=New York Times] During her first term, the Kansas capital punishment laws were declared unconstitutional by the Kansas Supreme Court. However, on appeal by Kansas' then-Attorney General Phill Kline, the ruling was again overturned and the current law reinstated by the United States Supreme Court.

The Cato Institute (a libertarian think tank) gave Sebelius the grade of "D", [cite web |url=http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa581.pdf |title=Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors: 2006 |publisher=Cato Institute] citing the combination of rapid spending growth and proposed tax increases.

Electoral history

Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Kathleen Sebelius
votes = 435,462
percentage = 52.9
change =Election box candidate with party link
|party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = Tim Shallenburger
votes = 371,325
percentage = 45.3
change =

Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Kathleen Sebelius (Incumbent)
votes = 480,532
percentage = 57.8
change = +4.9Election box candidate with party link
|party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = Jim Barnett
votes = 336,583
percentage = 40.5
change =

References

External links

* [http://www.ksgovernor.org/ Kansas Office of the Governor Kathleen Sebelius] official state site
* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=8718224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD National Governors Association - Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius] biography
* [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200616&c=431351 Follow the Money - Kathleen Sebelius & Mark Parkinson] 2006 campaign contributions
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/Kathleen_Sebelius.htm On the Issues - Kathleen Sebelius] issue positions and quotes
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=BKS95166 Project Vote Smart - Governor Kathleen Sebelius (KS)] profile
* [http://usliberals.about.com/od/stategovernors/p/Sebelius.htm About.com's Inside Profile of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas]
* [http://www.ksgovernor.com/ Kathleen Sebelius for Governor] official campaign site

Articles
*Trinity Washington University (2006). [http://www.trinitydc.edu/admissions/profiles/profile_sebelius.php Profile: Kathleen Sebelius '70] . Retrieved June 15, 2008.

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
before= Bill Graves
title=Governor of Kansas
years=January 13, 2003ndash "present"
after="Incumbent"succession box
before= Tom Sawyer
title=Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Kansas
years=2002, 2006
after=Most recent