Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius arrives at the Kansas Museum of History for a meeting of the Kansas Innovative Consortium on Friday in Topeka.

Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius stuck to a normal schedule Friday between bantering with reporters and ducking their questions about whether she would be Barack Obama’s running mate.

She playfully chided reporters who staked out her public events to talk to her about the veepstakes.

“I keep thinking you all have better things to do on a Friday afternoon,” she said before an afternoon economic development meeting on the Kansas Museum of History’s grounds in west Topeka.

Asked if she had any comment when she returned to the Statehouse later in the day, Sebelius responded: “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooooo.”

Sebelius wouldn’t say whether she talked Thursday or Friday to Obama or his campaign, though she campaigned Thursday in Iowa for the Illinois senator’s presidential bid.

“I don’t really comment on my phone calls, and I’ve told you for months all the comments about this process and the discussions are really coming from the campaign,” she said.

Asked again about phone calls from Obama or his campaign, she said: “Who did that come from, that interesting little tidbit?”

Sebelius was in her office Friday morning, then left the Statehouse to address a meeting of Kansas AFL-CIO activists.

“People make up their lists as they go along,” Sebelius said as she left the Statehouse the first time. “I don’t know whose list is whose, anyway.”

At the AFL-CIO event, Sebelius introduced Democratic Senate candidate Jim Slattery, then left quickly, walking past reporters.

“It’ll be exciting news,” she said, when asked about Obama’s plans to announce his running mate in a text message to supporters.

She returned to the Statehouse for several hours of work. Her aides said she was interviewing candidates for a judgeship in Shawnee County, meeting with staff and preparing for next week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver.

She is scheduled to give a short speech Tuesday night, along with other Democratic governors.

“A lot of us are going to focus on the fact that the country is facing some real challenges,” she said. “Families around this state and states across the country are struggling to pay for gas and pay their bills.”

Sebelius’ aides have said she plans to take a commercial flight midday today from Kansas City International Airport to Denver. That would seem to conflict with Obama’s plans to have his new running mate campaign with him Saturday in Springfield, Ill., where he kicked off his presidential campaign.

Also, there has been no sign in recent days of an increased security presence – which would go with being a vice presidential candidate – around Sebelius.

Sebelius has campaigned in several states for Obama, and she’s highly regarded by national party officials. She served a year as chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association and in January gave the Democratic response to President Bush’s last State of the Union address.

She also has ties to the swing state of Ohio, where her father, John Gilligan, served as governor in 1971-75.

But she lacks foreign policy experience, and she’s not likely to tip Kansas in Obama’s favor. Kansas is a reliably Republican state in presidential elections, and no Democrat has carried it since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

National recognition from fellow Democrats also has fueled speculation that Obama would offer Sebelius a Cabinet position if he wins.

“That’s a long way down the line,” she told reporters when asked about that possibility.