Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, D-Kansas Kathleen Sebelius (born May 15, 1948, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American politician who is the current governor of Kansas. A member of the Democratic Party, she became Kansas' 44th governor in 2003 after defeating Republican Tim Shallenburger in the election of 2002 by a vote of 53%-45%. Sebelius's victory was the result of a bitter divide between conservatives and moderates within the Kansas Republican Party.
Kathleen is the daughter of former governor of Ohio, John Gilligan; she and her father were the first father/daughter governor pair in the United States. In 1974, she moved to Kansas, where she served for eight years years as a representative in the Kansas state legislature, and eight years as insurance commissioner before being elected governor. Sebelius was briefly mentioned as a possible running mate for 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, though Sebelius remained adamant that her governorship was the central and only focus of her political life. Her husband Gary Sebelius, a federal magistrate judge, is the son of former Congressman Keith Sebelius. They have two sons, Ned (b. 1982) and John (b. 1985).
|
