A Burnsville DFLer who wanted to get his party's endorsement to unseat U.S. Rep. John Kline has dropped out of the race.

Dan Powers, a construction contractor, said he'll back Steve Sarvi in the 2nd Congressional District race.

Sarvi is also from Burnsville and an Iraq war veteran with 19 years of military experience and experiece as a city administrator.

Powers announced his decision Friday. He said that DFLers need to unite, and that Sarvi is the candidate who can beat Kline, a third-term Republican.