Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is President Obama's top choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, the New York Times reported.
Obama's first pick for the job, former Sen. Tom Daschle, withdrew his name from consideration for the nomination because of his failure to pay $128,000 in taxes.
White House advisers told the Times that Sebelius was "the leading candidate" but that no final decision had been made.
Sebelius, a moderate Democrat, has been mentioned in the past as a possible Cabinet pick and was considered a front-runner when Obama was selecting his vice presidential running mate.
Sebelius, who endorsed Obama in Jan. 2007, was elected governor in 2002 and served eight years as Kansas insurance commissioner before her gubernatorial tenure.
