State Sen. Tom Bakk has dropped his bid for governor, acknowledging that his chances of winning the Democratic nomination were slim.

Bakk made the announcement Saturday morning at the St. Louis County DFL Convention in Duluth.

He tells the Mesabi Daily News that House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak are neck-and-neck in the race. He says he and several other candidates are bunched considerably behind those two.

Bakk says he won’t endorse any other candidates for the DFL endorsement.

Bakk, of Cook, is chairman of the powerful Senate Taxes Committee. He has served 16 years in House and Senate.

He says he’ll return his focus to the state’s immediate needs. He says he’s leaning toward seeking re-election to the state Senate.