KANSAS CITY - Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius campaigned tirelessly on the trail for Barack Obama, but she won’t be joining him in Washington.  

The Governor, who was an active surrogate for Obama on the campaign trail and at one point was considered as a potential vice presidential pick, said budget problems in her home state are too important.

After Sen. Joe Biden got the vp slot, Sebelius, who roiled state politics when she sidelined efforts to expand coal-fired power plants in the state, had been one of the names floated for the potential Secretary of Energy pick. 

But the Governor’s office said over the weekend that Sebelius has requested that her name be removed from further consideration for a Cabinet position. 

“The possibility of joining President-elect Obama’s team is exciting and compelling, but my service to the citizens who elected me is my top priority in these difficult times,” Sebelius said in a statement.  

“The good news for Kansans is that we will soon have a partner in the White House working with us as we face our unprecedented economic challenges.” 

Earlier Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has also said he had no interest in taking the position as head of the energy department, and Senator Jeff Bingaman, the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, has also ruled himself out as energy secretary.