U.S. governors tell Obama of economic worries

By Caren Bohan

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Worries about the economy and higher fuel costs dominated talks on Friday among U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama and Democratic governors, some of whom have been mentioned as his possible running mate.

The topic of Obama's vice presidential search did not come up during his forum with the governors but it was very much on the minds of reporters who attended the session.

The names of several of the governors at the meeting, including Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, have been raised as possible vice presidential picks.

Strickland has publicly taken himself out of the running and reiterated that stance when asked about it.

Sebelius was coy about her prospects.

Asked if she had met with Obama's vice presidential search team, she replied, "There really aren't conversations with me at this point."

"This choice is Senator Obama's. I am confident that he will take everything into account and whatever choice he makes I'm going to support 100 percent," Sebelius said, adding that Obama had "wide array of talent" to choose from.

At the session in Chicago, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a former chairman of Goldman Sachs, gave a bleak prognosis for the U.S. economy, saying he thought the country faced a deep recession that was "gathering momentum."

"There is a lot economic pain in America," Ohio's Strickland said.

He pointed out that the economic woes were especially acute in his Rust Belt state which has been shedding manufacturing jobs for years and where auto plants have been hurt further lately by high fuel costs that have depressed sales of sport utility vehicles.

Obama, an Illinois senator, hopes to make the economy a winning issue for him in the November election against Republican John McCain, an Arizona senator whose policies Obama has linked to those of President George W. Bush.

Obama accused Bush of fiscal recklessness and criticized McCain's plan for increased offshore oil drilling, saying it would take decades to have any impact on fuel costs and posed environmental concerns.

Obama and the governors also talked about the need to boost investment in infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges and rail.

(Editing by Jackie Frank)