Columbus, Ohio ? The governor plans another Ohio speech about the presidential election on Saturday. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, that is.

Sebelius, an Ohio native frequently mentioned as a possible running mate for Democrat Barack Obama, is in the must-win state for the third time in four months.

Is she really that homesick?

Not exactly, said Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran. For starters, her famous father – former Ohio Gov. John Gilligan – has been the subject of several honors and awards recently, and Sebelius wanted to be home for those.

In Ohio, “Her schedule is driven by her father,” Corcoran said.

That said, Sebelius also makes time for political events when she’s in town, both in Ohio and elsewhere. But not every place is Ohio, where no Republican and only two Democrats have been elected president without winning the state in more than a century.

Moreover, not every place is Kansas, at least not this year. The Republican stronghold happens to be the home of Obama’s mother and grandparents, which gives him a politically legitimate connection to the state, even though he was raised in Hawaii.

As Kansas governor, Sebelius has star quality important to Obama, whether or not she becomes his No. 2. She’s a moderate Democrat who has twice won election in enemy territory.

Sebelius, 60, has relatively strong ties to Ohio: she grew up in Cincinnati, graduated from that city’s Summit Country Day School in 1966 and still expresses fondness for hometown favorite Graeter’s ice cream – “any flavor made with chocolate chips,” Corcoran said.

Her two-state connection makes her valuable to Obama as he pursues his 50-state strategy to put the entire country in play in November.

On Saturday Sebelius is scheduled to attend a high-wattage Ohio Democratic Party dinner in the company of Gov. Ted Strickland, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman.

Dubbed a “family reunion,” the event is a rally of top Ohio Democrats on behalf of Obama. It’s less routine than you might think: Strickland backed Hillary Rodham Clinton until the end of her campaign, and Brown didn’t endorse anyone in the primaries.

As a result, a strong show of Ohio support for Obama – who was clobbered by Clinton in the March primary – may be needed to kick start his campaign here.

Of course, Sebelius’ influence in Ohio is debatable. She’s not well known outside of political circles, and her father’s term as governor ended in 1975, before a large crop of Ohio voters were even born.

Sebelius “cannot repair the damage Barack Obama has incurred with the Ohio voters who soundly rejected his candidacy in March,” said Blair Latoff, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.

Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage calls Sebelius “a valued member of our team.”

As a possible running mate, Sebelius can push what political analyst Gene Beaupre calls the issues of a breadbasket state.

Obama “needs that dirt in your fingernails kind of candidate,” said Beaupre, a political science professor at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

“If you ask me what’s more important to voters, foreign policy or a loaf of bread, I’d say it’s about farmers and gas prices and the price of bread, at least for now,” he said.