House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, surrounded by cheering supporters on their feet, accepted her party's endorsement for governor of Minnesota shortly before midnight Saturday.

Kelliher was declared winner by acclamation just minutes after Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak withdrew from a contest that was close most of the evening and threw his support to her.

When she took the stage in the convention center in Duluth, Kelliher declared, "I am so honored to accept your endorsement for government." She called Rybak a "class act."

She credited a coalition of Democrats from "hard hats to high heels" for her victory. "DFLers, are you ready to make some history?" she asked the roaring crowd. "Are you ready to win?"

Kelliher now is headed toward a primary contest that three other DFLers -- former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza and Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner -- say they will participate in.