Election 2008: Kathleen Sebelius for Vice President

While it seems premature to discuss possible Democratic vice presidential candidates, a few names are circulating as possibilities. Kathleen Sebelius, the current governor of Kansas, is one of those named as a possible running mate. From what I have researched she appears to be a better candidate for Barack Obama rather than Hillary Clinton.

Sebelius's Strengths

First and foremost, Kathleen Sebelius would bring experience to the Democratic ticket. She was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1986 and served for eight years. She left the House to run for state insurance commissioner and was the first Democrat to win the office in over 100 years. She is credited with bringing the insurance commission out from under the heavy influence of insurers. She refused to take any contributions to her campaign from insurance companies.

In 2002, Sebelius ran for governor in a political climate that was sharply divided. The moderate and conservative Republicans were separated over certain issues and thanks to that, Sebelius won a fairly easy victory. During her tenure as governor, the economy and jobs have increased after being at an all-time low.

Another proud moment for Sebelius is that she has not increased taxes since she has been in office. But, that is not to say she has not tried.

Sebelius's Weaknesses

Education funding in Kansas has been a trial for Sebelius. In 2005, the Kansas Supreme Court ordered the legislature to increase spending for education. Sebelius proposed a plan to increase property, sales, and income taxes but deferred to the wishes of the legislature. Currently, the state is in debt for this project with no real plan for the future spending of education. Kansas, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, spends less than half of what other states do on education.¹

While not necessarily a weakness within the Democratic party, her views on abortion are very liberal and that has not set well with the very conservative Midwesterners she serves. ² In a national race, she may have to dampen her views in order to pull in the more conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans, particularly if her running mate has a very liberal view on abortion.

Same-sex marriage, one of the newer issues, is one on which Sebelius seems indecisive. While not supporting the Kansas state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages (which passed overwhelmingly), she simply stated that she supported the existing state law as sufficient. ³

Another strike against Sebelius is her lack of cooperation in political issue standings. Project Vote Smart ⁴has asked repeatedly for her stance on many key issues including abortion, the environment, campaign reform, taxes, health, gun laws, et cetera. Some information has been gleaned by OntheIssues.org.⁵

Assist or Hinder a Democratic Presidential Race?

Sebelius would likely be a good running mate choice for Barack Obama. She has likeability with Midwesterners, particularly those who are moderate to liberal Republicans. In a very conservative state, she not only won the governor's seat but was also re-elected by a landslide. She would be a good choice for Obama, not only to appease those who want a woman in office, but also to bring in the more conservative Democrats. She could possibly balance out the more liberal Obama and bring his campaign to the Bible belt.

She would not make a good candidate for Hillary Clinton's campaign for a couple of reasons, the first being that she has already endorsed Barack Obama. Another reason she would not do well with Clinton is that she has nothing to offer Clinton. She cannot add more to get the women's vote, she has roughly the same views as Clinton, and would seem to be a bland, safe choice by comparison.

Kathleen Sebelius is no stranger to national elections. Her name also came up during the last election as a potential running mate for John Kerry. Her future seems tied to national politics. 2010 is the last year she can be governor in Kansas due to term limits and is looking to running for the soon-to-be vacated U. S. senator seat.

Sources:

¹ http://nces.ed.gov/programs/stateprofiles/sresult.asp?mode=short&s1=20

²http://www.dr-tiller.com/tillers-governor.htm

³http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/04/06/kansans_vote_to_ban_same_sex_marriage/

⁴ http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=1884

⁵ http://www.ontheissues.org/Kathleen_Sebelius.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius

http://www.governor.ks.gov/