Obama taps Sebelius for health secretary

The Kansas governor was an early Obama supporter and a finalist for Obama's ticket before he picked Joe Biden for vice president. During the general election campaign, she spent 24 days stumping for Obama in 16 states, including key battlegrounds such as Colorado, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina Ohio and Pennsylvania. Some Democrats in Kansas believe her endorsement of Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton in January 2008 helped boost him to an overwhelming victory in the state's Democratic caucuses.

Some Democrats have said she has built a solid and even close relationship with Obama, gaining his trust.

Her name had been floated for several Cabinet posts, but she removed herself from consideration in December, citing Kansas' budget problems that needed her attention.

She comes from a strong political family. Her father, John Gilligan, was the governor of Ohio in 1971-75, making them the only father-daughter governors in U.S. history.

Winning in a GOP-leaning state
National party circles have buzzed about Sebelius since she won her first term as governor in GOP-leaning Kansas in 2002, aided by her image as a no-nonsense administrator and consumer advocate. Party leaders have portrayed her as someone who has been able to attract support from moderate Republicans and independent voters.

She is routinely described as a success at finding bipartisan solutions and has long said addressing rising health care costs and making sure more people have coverage are top priorities for her as governor.

But she's often found her ambitions frustrated by Republican legislators who are wary of expanding government and prefer measures that help people find private insurance.

Yet legislators in both parties agree the state has made some progress on health care since Sebelius became governor in January 2003.

The state has expanded cancer screenings, allowed more Kansans can keep their health insurance up to 18 months after leaving their jobs and granted income tax deductions that helped some Kansans lower their insurance costs.

It also has increased funding for "safety net" clinics, expanded state medical and dental coverage for pregnant women and started no-interest loans to help small businesses form associations to provide health plans for employees.

However, Christian Morgan, the Kansas GOP's executive director, said Sebelius deserves no credit for whatever reforms have occurred in the state. He said she'll leave behind "a long string of broken promises."

He also said she has a record of working to expand government programs instead of trying to improve the private insurance market, which he called "a frightening indication of what is to come."

"Any sort of health insurance-health care policy has come from the Legislature or other outside bureaucracies," he said.

More from msnbc.com Credit card debt, terms limit holiday spending  ConsumerMan: It’s a ruby ... but it’s not the real thing Audi R8: German precision meets Latin flair  Battling for resources -- with guns, swords Cosmic Log: Light show sparks UFO buzz

MORE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

The White House Section Front

Obama accepts Nobel, acknowledges controversy   Full text of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize speech NYT: Salahis rattle D.C.'s ‘sense of decorum’ NYT: Slim majority backs Afghan troop plan Obama is sued for White House visitor list Battle lines forming over TARP extension Obama outlines bailout for Main Street General: Bin Laden capture key to U.S. efforts White House to release new data collections Gates reassures Afghans over U.S. commitment The White House Section Front   Add The White House headlines to your news reader: