KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is in talks with President Donald Trump's administration about taking an ambassadorship position, according to sources close to the governor.
No offer has been extended yet, according to the Kansas City Star's sources, but the Republican governor has discussed the possibility of taking a position as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for food and agriculture, a position that would move the Midwestern governor to Rome.
It has been rumored since November that Brownback, who is close with Vice President Mike Pence, could land a job in the Trump administration, but the governor has been tight-lipped about his prospects.
Kansas Public Radio reported Wednesday afternoon that Brownback was poised to be named ambassador, citing an unnamed source who called it a "done deal."
Several sources close to the governor framed the situation as more tentative than that.
"The Trump administration has been in touch with him about several opportunities, but he's not made a decision to move forward with any of those at this time," said one source with close ties to Brownback.
Another source with ties to Brownback described the public radio report as premature, but said that the position would be a great fit for Brownback, who served as Kansas secretary of agriculture and spent 14 years on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"He'd be a good pick for anywhere in the diplomatic corps based on his experience," the source said.
The White House declined to comment on the matter.
Clay Barker, the executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, said that he had no firsthand knowledge of an appointment, but that the report is consistent with things he has heard.
Sen. Bud Estes, a Dodge City Republican, said he's felt all along that Trump would tap Brownback for some kind of job in the administration.
"I fully expect that President Trump will use him in some ambassador function, somewhere, sometime, because I think he'd be fabulous at it," Estes said.
Brownback's office would not confirm the accuracy of the report.
"Governor Brownback is focused on working with the Kansas legislature to balance the budget and pass a modern school funding system," said Melika Willoughby, the governor's spokeswoman.
Pressed on whether she denied the report, Willoughby just repeated the comment.
An official in the Capitol close to Brownback said he'd been told there had been conversations with Trump's people, but nothing has been offered to Brownback that he would accept at this time.
A second government official also said nothing had been finalized at this point.
If Brownback does agree to take this or another position and is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, a Johnson County plastic surgeon, would succeed him as governor at a time when the state faces major questions about its long-term finances.
The state faces a roughly $1 billion shortfall through June 2019. Brownback and the Legislature have struggled to find consensus on how to address that.
House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat, said Colyer would have "a great opportunity" to be seen as a problem solver if he can work with the Legislature on the budget deficit, school finance and taxation.
"He has to ask himself, do I want to be a part of the solution, or am I going to continue Brownback's obstruction?" Ward said.
He said although Colyer has been in the Statehouse for 12 years, including his six years in the Legislature, he remains a bit of an unknown.
Colyer was one of the primary architects of KanCare, the state's privatized Medicaid system.
His visibility has increased in recent months as he's been out front on several issues for the administration, ranging from efforts to improve rural healthcare or the long-term goal of building a commercial airport in Johnson County.
