Above: Dems President Brigit M. Helgen '08, with Governor Sebelius.

At the third annual Leader of the Year Award Gala this Tuesday, the
Harvard College Democrats presented Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius with their Leader of the Year Award in a culmination of a year of successful activities and campaigns. Governor Sebelius, chair of the Democratic Governors Association and one of the most popular governors in the country, is the third recipient of the award, following Representative Artur Davis (D–AL) in 2005 and former Governor of Virginia Mark Warner in 2006.

Governor Sebelius was selected for the award to honor her work in building the Democratic Party into a strong force in a state once written off as a Republican stronghold. Governor Sebelius’s achievements in Kansas, coupled with her broad-based and bipartisan support from residents of the state, make her a perfect model of the resurgence of the Democratic Party all across the nation.

For the full statement from the Dems, please see the press release.

(More photos from the event can be enjoyed here.)