One Democrat dropped his bid to become state land commissioner Wednesday, and his handpicked candidate stepped into the race for the Democratic nomination to succeed Aubrey Dunn, a single-term Republican who has said he is not running for re-election. Ray Powell, a veterinarian who served as land commissioner from 1994 to 2002 and again from 2011-14, withdrew from the race and said he was endorsing state Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard of Los Alamos.