Sebelius is also a Catholic, a constituency Hillary also has done well with, whose roots go back to all important Ohio where much affection lingers among oldsters for her father, John Joyce Gilligan, "Ohio's Fighting Lib" who served his country in World War II - earning a Silver Star- and served his state as Governor from 1971-1975.
Kathleen was married in the Ohio Governor's Mansion to K. Gary Sebelius (Kansas' self-professed "first dude") whose father was a Republican U.S. Representative from the Sunflower State.
Elected to the house herself in 1986 Kathleen was sent back by Kansas voters twice more before, in 1994, stunning her followers by electing to run for the office of Kansas State Insurance Commissioner and winning...the first time a democrat had held the office in 100 years.
Refusing to accept campaign donations from the industry she was to regulate, she is credited with freeing her office from the influence of protection peddlersinsurance companies.
During her tenure she blocked the proposed acquisition of Blue Cross Blue Shield by Corporate Giant Anthem BCBS of Indiana, stating "The merger would not be good for the consumer."
It was the first time Anthem had been stymied in a takeover.
Taking advantage of interparty friction between moderate Republicans and the fundie fringe Kathleen seized the Governor's Mansion for Dems in 2002 on a platform of more funding for education.
Dealing with a conservatives in Topeka she managed to get her increased funding increase...with a little help from the Kansas Supreme Court which in 2005 demanded the legislature increase the funding of K-12.
As she said in her response to Dubya's 2008 State of the Union;
"I believe that our greatest generations are still to come."
And she will fight to educate them.
Sebelius supports abortion rights and blocked efforts by the Legislature to impose new standards on Planned Parenthood which could have effectively shut them down.
And although she blocked a popular conceal and carry law that was eventually adopted over her veto, she won relection in 2006 in conservative Kansas by a whopping 18% plurality.
Shortly after this year's New Hampshire primary she endorsed Kansas' native son Barack Obama for the Presidency.
I believe with Sebelius on the ticket we will stregthen our chances of winning not only in Kansas, but in Missouri, Colorado, South Dakota, Nevada and Utah as well as her native state of Ohio.
There are rumblings of discontent with Republicans out west...let us draw from there a proven pickpocket of moderate Republican votes.
As Kathleen has said...
A healthy state encourages many voices - and lots of listening.
Here, here, Kath, and you might add...a healthy blog and nation.
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