Topeka ? Kathleen Sebelius promised Monday to fight high health care costs if elected governor, but wouldn’t say as she kicked off her campaign whether there should be higher taxes to solve the state’s budget problems.

Sebelius, the insurance commissioner and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, portrayed herself as a tough consumer advocate and pronounced herself “ready to fight for everyday Kansans.”

She said as insurance commissioner, she already has used a counseling program in her office to save the elderly money on prescription drugs and has fought insurance companies when they have unfairly denied medical coverage.

“You can be absolutely certain I have the will and the independence to fight for Kansas families,” she said.

Sebelius kicked off her campaign with a rally in the cafeteria of Topeka High School, where her youngest son, John, is a senior. About 250 people attended.

She also scheduled stops later Monday in Overland Park, Wichita and Pittsburg and Tuesday in Hays, Garden City, Colby and Norton.

With legislators facing a projected $426 million gap between expected revenues and spending commitments, gubernatorial candidates already have faced the question of how they would respond.

Sebelius said she would look for inefficiencies in government first, and the debate should start with cutting spending.

Asked whether she would support tax increases, Sebelius said: “I’m not going to second-guess the governor and the Legislature during the session.”

She gave the same answer when asked about a proposal from Gov. Bill Graves, a Republican, to increase the state’s cigarette tax by 65 cents a pack.

Sebelius’ political intentions hardly have been a secret. In August, she named a treasurer and formed a fund-raising committee for a gubernatorial run, and she finished last year with more than $550,000 in her campaign account, more than any other declared candidate.

She also is the Democratic Party’s only statewide officeholder, making her the natural choice to be its nominee for governor. No significant challenger is expected to emerge to her nomination.

Sebelius, 53, was first elected insurance commissioner in 1994, unseating Republican incumbent Ron Todd and ending decades of GOP control of the office. She portrayed herself as a consumer advocate.

She served eight years in the Kansas House before running for the commissioner’s job. Before starting her political career, she worked for the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association.

Her father is former Ohio Gov. John Gilligan and her husband, Gary, is the son of former U.S. Rep. Keith Sebelius, who represented western Kansas in Congress.

Three Republican candidates have announced for governor Attorney General Carla Stovall, State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger and Wichita Mayor Bob Knight.