Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Friday there was too much work to do in Topeka for her to be thinking about joining the Democratic ticket as the vice presidential nominee.

Last weekend in The Des Moines Register, columnist David Yepsen suggested Sebelius could be a “wild-card” vice presidential choice for Democratic front-runner John Kerry because of her Ohio roots and appeal to women.

Sebelius, Yepsen wrote, “happens to be the daughter of former Ohio Gov. John Gilligan, and, as we’ve all learned, Ohio will be everything in the fall contest.”

Sebelius’ name also is listed on a few Internet sites as a potential vice president selection, including one that declares she is in the “pipeline to the presidency.”

But the governor said she hadn’t given any thought to a vice presidential bid.

“It’s interesting to be named, but I’m totally focused on what we’re doing here in Kansas,” Sebelius said. “We have a huge agenda. I ran for this office because I want to serve in this office.”

Sebelius, who is attending a National Governors Assn. meeting this weekend in Washington, also downplayed the importance of her Ohio connection.

“We’ve had some friends who have suggested that my Ohio roots are certainly strong,” she said. “But I had to enter the witness protection program in order to be successful in new elections, move to a new state, change my name, so I’m not sure how much traction there is in Ohio.”

Sebelius said she might endorse a candidate for the Democratic nomination before the state’s March 13 caucuses, but hadn’t made that decision.

“We’re working hard to get one or more of the remaining candidates here on the fifth of March for the Kansas dinner, and I’m hopeful that we’ll have some success,” she said.

The Kansas Democratic Party State Committee meets March 5-6, and the Ad Astra dinner on March 5 is one of the highlights.