Topeka ? Gov. Mark Parkinson has picked a lieutenant governor, and he will announce his decision today at a 2 p.m. news conference.

Parkinson was the lieutenant governor, but became governor April 28 when Kathleen Sebelius was confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Parkinson, a former Republican who switched to the Democratic Party to run with Sebelius in 2006, has said he will pick a Democrat, someone he can work with, and a person who is qualified to become governor in the event something should happen to him.

Democrats also have said they would like him to select someone who has plans to run for office in 2010, but Parkinson has said he did not have that as one of his requirements.

There has been much speculation on who he would choose, but no front runner has emerged.