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Kathleen Sebelius

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Kathleen Sebelius
File:Governor Kathleen Sebelius Official 2008 Photo.jpg
44th Governor of Kansas
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 13, 2003
LieutenantJohn E. Moore, Mark Parkinson
Preceded byBill Graves
Personal details
Born (1948-05-15) May 15, 1948 (age 76)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseGary Sebelius
ProfessionGovernor

Kathleen Sebelius (born May 15, 1948) is currently serving as the 44th Governor of Kansas.[1] She is the second female governor of Kansas, the 2008 respondent to the State of the Union address,[2] and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association.

Sebelius has endorsed Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. She has also been named as one of the top contenders for the Vice-Presidential nomination if Obama is the candidate.[3]

Early life and family

Sebelius was born and raised in a Catholic family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the Summit Country Day School, a Roman Catholic secondary school, followed by Trinity Washington University, a Roman Catholic 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 at the age of 26, 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.[4] Her husband K. Gary Sebelius[5] 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 winning — 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."[6]

Governorship

Kathleen Sebelius (second to left) with Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (first left), United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (center), Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (fourth), and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (right).

First term

2002 election

Sebelius defeated Republican Tim Shallenburger in the 2002 election by a vote of 53%-45%.[7] Her victory was partially the result of a bitter divide between conservatives and moderates within the Kansas Republican Party.[8] 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 one of the most popular governors in the country.[9]

Gun laws

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.[10] The veto left Kansas as one of only four states without any form of a conceal-carry law.

Sebelius 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."[11]

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.[12]

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 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 takes effect on July 1.[13]

Other actions and 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,[14] and therefore opposed the constitutional amendment. The amendment passed with 70 percent voter approval.

Sebelius is an opponent of capital punishment. During her first term, the Kansas capital punishment laws were declared unconstitutional by the Kansas Supreme Court. However, on appeal by then-Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, the ruling was again overturned and the current law reinstated by the United States Supreme Court.

Early in the term, Governor 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.[citation needed] 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, 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.

Second term

2006 re-election

Main article: Kansas gubernatorial election, 2006

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 a popular and successful GOP Party Chair. He 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.[15]

She was challenged by Republican Kansas State Senator Jim Barnett. A September 1 Rasmussen poll showed Sebelius with an 11-percent lead over Barnett. [16] 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.[17] Sebelius, nevertheless, won a landslide re-election with 57.8 percent of the vote to Barnett's 40.5 percent. Because of Kansas' term limit law, her second term as Governor is her last.

Speculation on political future

During the 2004 election Sebelius was named as a potential running mate for John Kerry.[18] In the aftermath of Kerry's defeat in the 2004 presidential election, some pundits named Sebelius as a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008. Many contend that her appeal would be broad among her fellow Midwesterners. [19]As of 2008, speculation remains that she will be a contender for the vice-presidential slot on the Democratic ticket this year, if headed by Barack Obama.[20] The Washington Post has listed her as the top prospect for the 2008 nomination.[21] James Carville has also mentioned Sebelius' name.[22] Speculation that the Vice Presidential nomination lies 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.[23] The next day, she endorsed Obama's campaign, one week before the Kansas caucus on Super Tuesday.[24] Obama won the caucus easily, with 74% support.[25]

Also, due to Sebelius being term-limited in 2010 and owing to her being a popular Democrat who has achieved election to statewide office in the heavily Republican state, Sebelius is also speculated as a possible Democratic candidate for the US Senate seat currently held by Republican Sam Brownback in 2010, who has said he will not seek reelection. Michael Moore also speculated on his website MichaelMoore.com that she may run for President in 2016.

Sebelius is a former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a popular launchpad for those with national political ambitions.[26] In 2007, she traveled to Istanbul to attend the annual Bilderberg Group meeting.[27]

Electoral history

Kansas Gubernatorial Election 2002
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Sebelius 435,462 52.9
Republican Tim Shallenburger 371,325 45.3
Kansas Gubernatorial Election 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Sebelius (Incumbent) 480,532 57.8 +4.9
Republican Jim Barnett 336,583 40.5

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.[28]

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 education — all without raising taxes. Also praised was her bipartisan approach to governing, a useful trait in a state where Republicans have usually controlled the Legislature.[29]

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.[30]

References

  1. ^ "Governor Kathleen Sebelius Biography". Retrieved October 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "Response to the 2008 State of the Union address".
  3. ^ Cillizza, Chris and Shailagh Murray. "So, Candidates, Who's It Going to Be?", Washington Post, May 11, 2008.
  4. ^ "Meet Kathleen". Retrieved October 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ "Magistrate Judge K. Gary Sebelius" (HTML). U.S. District Court, District of Kansas. U.S. Government. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  6. ^ "Political Women Go Hunting". National Wild Turkey Federation. October 27, 2004.
  7. ^ "State Races: Kansas".
  8. ^ Ripley, Amanda (November 13, 2005). "America's 5 Best Governors". Time. Retrieved 2008-05-05. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ SurveyUSA (2006). Governor Approval Ratings 01/06 Sort by State. Retrieved April 25, 2006.
  10. ^ USA Today (2005). Kansas governor vetoes concealed weapons bill. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
  11. ^ "Sebelius vetoes concealed carry bill". AP. April 16, 2004.
  12. ^ Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline (2006). Kansas Concealed Weapon. Retrieved April 25, 2006.
  13. ^ "Sebelius signs machine gun bill". AP. April 22, 2008.
  14. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/04/06/kansans_vote_to_ban_same_sex_marriage Sebelius on gay marriage] retrieved June 5, 2006.
  15. ^ Twitty, David (May 31, 2006). "Kan. gov. selects running mate for race". AP.
  16. ^ Rasmussen Reports: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a mid-term election
  17. ^ CNN.com Election 2004
  18. ^ CNN (2004). John Kerry campaign: Democratic candidates for vice president. Retrieved April 25, 2006. See also CNN (2004). WHO WILL JOHN KERRY PICK AS HIS RUNNING MATE?. Retrieved April 25, 2006.
  19. ^ "The 2008 Veepstakes".
  20. ^ Zerger Nathan, Jesse (24 April, 2006). "Will Kansas Governor Be Dems VP Candidate in 2008?". BeyondChron. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Cillizza, Chris and Shailagh Murray. "So, Candidates, Who's It Going to Be?", Washington Post, May 11, 2008.
  22. ^ "Political Ticker", CNN, May 13, 2008.
  23. ^ Carpenter, Tim. "Sebelius to give response to State of the Union, Governor represents Democratic Party in opposition speech", Topeka Capital-Journal, January 16, 2008.
  24. ^ "Kansas Gov. Sebelius Endorses Obama, Governor Represents GOP-Friendly State Where Candidate Has Family Ties". CBS News. January 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-14. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  25. ^ "Obama wins Kansas Caucus", Kansas City Star
  26. ^ Kan. governor draws national attention, by John Hanna, Associated Press. Retrieved January 28, 2007
  27. ^ Bilderberg Group list of attendees
  28. ^ Gurwitt, Rob (November 2001). "Kathleen Sebelius: Believer in Balance". Governing Magazine. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Time (2006). America's 5 Best Governors: Kathleen Sebelius |Kansas. Retrieved April 25, 2006.
  30. ^ The White House Project (2006). [1] Retrieved March 19, 2008.

Articles

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