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Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline is withholding his endorsement for now in the GOP scramble to succeed him because he's not yet sure who will have the right mix of campaign money, visibility and message.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Kline made clear he hoped former judge and former Minnesota first lady Mary Pawlenty would have entered the 2nd Congressional District race.

, so the retiring congressman is still assessing who among a stable of Republicans in the hunt has the best chance to hold the swing-district seat. Whomever emerges from an August primary is likely to face former health company executive 

, who has the inside track for the Democratic nod.

The candidate selection process gets under way with the March 1 caucuses, which begins the process of picking delegates to the respective endorsing conventions. It's possible that the Republican contest will stretch into August because not all candidates have pledged to abide by the endorsement of party activists.

Over coffee Monday, Kline offered his assessment of the leading GOP candidates:

Meanwhile, party heavyweights on the Democratic side continue to coalesce around Craig after her main opposition left the race.

On Monday, Gov. Mark Dayton, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar all endorsed the Eagan resident. Craig, who used to be a corporate leader at St. Jude Medical, is striving to become the first openly gay member of Congress from Minnesota.

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Brian Bakst

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The 2nd District congressman says he wanted former first lady Mary Pawlenty to run. Now he's trying to figure out who has best odds to hold swing-district seat.

GOP’s Kline hangs back in race to pick successor

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