Sebelius may join Wolf in seeking Robert’s senate seat
Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sebelius is considering a run for Sen. Pat Robert’s (R-Kan.) Senate seat, according to the New York Times. Her entry into the race would likely raise the national profile of the contest in which Tea Party-backed radiologist Dr. Milton Wolf is facing off against Roberts in the primary.
The former Kansas governor still has one foot in Washington as she awaits confirmation of her presumed successor, Obama budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell. But the outspoken Wolf, an avowed enemy of the Affordable Care Act, is already taking shots at the secretary, whom he welcomes into the race.
“Kathleen Sebelius has been an unmitigated disaster in Washington,” Wolf said during a roundtable discussion hosted by the Washburn University College Republicans, insurancenewsnet.com reported. Wolf laid out his alternative to ACA, which he calls the Patient Care Act, by which patients and physicians would determine care, government would be removed from health care, and efficiency would emerge from the free market.
Sebelius, who served as governor in Kansas from 2003 to 2009, would face Chad Taylor, Shawnee County District Attorney, in the Democratic primary. Democrats have not held a Senate seat in Kansas since 1939.
Her candidacy would face an uphill battle, according to a recent survey conducted by Public Policy Polling, which found that Sebelius's popularity has slipped considerably since she occupied the Governor's mansion. A majority of those polled (55 percent) held an unfavorable view of the Secretary.
Vice President, Executive Editor, Radiology Business
Cheryl began her career in journalism when Wite-Out was a relatively new technology. During the past 16 years, she has covered radiology and followed developments in healthcare policy. She holds a BA in History from the University of Delaware and likes nothing better than a good story, well told.