Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, right, and former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, R-Kan., talk during a fundraising campaign, “Open Your Heart to Open the Door,” in this Wednesday file photo in Wichita. The governor on Friday canceled a legislative meeting set for Monday morning, spurring speculation as to why.

Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius caused a stir Friday by canceling a planned meeting with legislative leaders while the Statehouse buzzed about her chances of joining President Barack Obama’s administration.

The meeting was set for 8 a.m. Monday, and legislative leaders confirmed that they were told by e-mail that it had been scuttled.

Later, another Monday meeting, set for 1 p.m., appeared on Sebelius’ public schedule.

Sebelius is considered a leading candidate for Health and Human Services secretary. Obama also has an opening for Commerce secretary because his latest pick, New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, withdrew Thursday.

The governor has ducked questions from reporters this week about whether she’s interested in the Cabinet again, two months after publicly dropping out of consideration.

“We’re going to let the speculators speculate,” spokeswoman Beth Martino said Friday. “There is a lot of important state business going on, and she’s focused on that.”

Martino did not explain why the meeting was canceled.

Both House Speaker Mike O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, and Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican, said e-mails about the meeting’s cancellation didn’t provide a reason.

“We know it’s been canceled, and we don’t know why,” Morris said.

The Legislature’s two Democratic leaders, Sen. Anthony Hensley, of Topeka, and Rep. Paul Davis, of Topeka, said people shouldn’t read too much into the governor’s action. Hensley noted that she had already met this week with legislative leaders.

“Although I haven’t talked to her people, I’ve assumed that she thought maybe that sufficed,” Hensley said.

Later, Sebelius’ staff released her public schedule, and it included the 1 p.m. meeting, of the State Finance Council. The council is the governor and eight legislative leaders, and it handles some financial matters for the state in public sessions.

The meeting is the only item on Sebelius’ public schedule for Monday, and that schedule listed no events for the weekend.

Sebelius was an early supporter of Obama in his presidential bid, and she campaigned regularly for him outside Kansas. She was on the short list of candidates for vice president; Joe Biden was ultimately chosen for the ticket.

Sebelius said in December that she was dropping out of consideration for the Cabinet because of the state’s budget problems.

Recently, she has declined to say that she’s not interested in the Cabinet, but she has said she’s focused on her duties in Kansas.

On Friday, Martino said: “Nothing has changed. The governor is focused on her work related to the budget and the federal stimulus package.”