TOPEKA -- Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer brought a Washington Days crowd of Democrats to its feet tonight when he endorsed Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head the Health and Human ServiGov. Brian SchweitzerGov. Brian Schweitzerces Department in Washington.

With signs emerging Friday that President Obama is close to making the pick, Schweitzer said, "I believe the leadership we need at HHS is my friend and your governor, Kathleen Sebelius."

A switch to national health care coverage will be tough, Schweitzer said. Sacrifices will be required.

"In Kansas, you'll have to give your governor," he said.

In response, Sebelius, who was sitting at a table just adjacent to the podium, smiled and shook her head. She's said little about the prospect of becoming HHS secretary, although the buzz Friday night was all about the governor and her potential new job.

Sebelius spoke prior to the Montana governor and addressed head on what she called the "angst" permeating the Democratic Party in Kansas. "I know there's a lot of angst among some of you tonight," she said, "angst about what's going to happen....in 2010. Are we at the edge of a cliff?"

Answering that question herself, Sebelius reminded Democrats of the woeful state of the party in 2001, one year before she pulled off her win for governor. At the time, she was the only statewide official as insurance commissioner. Congressman Dennis Moore was the only Democrat in the state's Washington delegation.

"Our party was broke and pretty disorganized," she said. "People thought 2002 would be the end of the Democratic Party."

But Kansans responded to a Democratic Party of hope and optimism in 2002. Today, Democrats hold four statewide offices: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and treasurer. Moore is still around. And the party's prospects remain bright, Sebelius said.

But on that front, other Democrats admitted to Prime Buzz that no big-name contenders have emerged for either of the two, big open positions next year -- the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sam Brownback and the governor's office.

"It really is up in the air right now," said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley.

John Moore, Sebelius' first lieutenant governor, said he is talking to people about running for governor. He said he has no timetable.

Despite buttons touting a Hensley for governor effort, the senator said he won't make that race and that the buttons were printed by a Republican friend, apparently as something of a joke.

Attorney General Steve Six appears to be aiming at an election bid next year for his current post as is newly appointed state Treasurer Dennis McKinney. Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson, who joined Schweitzer in wearing a bolo tie, has said he won't run for governor in 2010.

In other words, the Democratic bench is scary-thin these days in Kansas.

Oh, in a Kansas Democratic Party tradition, guest speaker Schweitzer's tie was auctioned off as a fund-raiser for the party. His bolo tie went for $4,500. Parkinson cracked that he may have been the first person ever from Johnson County to wear one

One more "oh," the banquet crowd of 600-700 was a surprise, given that there's no election this year. Missouri Republicans, at their Lincoln Days in KC last weekend, didn't pull that many.