Race to replace B.C. Premier John Horgan already over?

British Columbia's jobs minister says he will not be throwing his hat into the NDP leadership ring, sparking speculation the race to replace John Horgan as premier may, in essence, be over.

Ravi Kahlon said Wednesday that he won't join the race.

"I will not be seeking the leadership of the B.C. NDP, it's not the right time for my family and I,” Kahlon told journalists Wednesday.

He said his family came to that consensus Tuesday evening and after that he called Attorney General David Eby, who now has Kahlon’s endorsement.

"I am encouraging him to run for the leadership. I think he would make a fantastic premier. He's compassionate, he’s thoughtful, he’s delivered big things for this province already."

Eby is considered a frontrunner, and when asked last week if he’d run, said he'd be having conversations with his loved ones, colleagues and the party about it.

The party hasn’t yet set a date or the rules around the leadership race, so it’s impossible to say if Eby is a shoo-in, according to the former executive director of the NDP, Raj Sihota.

“At the end of the day, it is a vote of the members and you have to have the organizational strength of the members,” she told CTV News.

Sihota added support from sitting politicians is also important and that it “sounds like David Eby has a lot of support from caucus."

Sihota said that a divisive and drawn out leadership race can be distracting for a party.

So far, no one has officially entered the race, and it’s unclear if the Kahlon announcement will deter others from joining. Kahlon also spoke of the importance of being unified.

"My hope is from this, that we get unity that we get ready to take take some really important issues on," Kahlon added.

Horgan announced last week that he plans to make way for a new leader, but said he wouldn't step down until the party chose his successor.

He said his "health is good, but (his) energy flags" since his latest cancer bout. The 62-year-old had a previous battle with bladder cancer in 2008 and was diagnosed with cancer again in November after a lump was discovered in his throat. 

Following the announcement, speculation began about who might be filling his shoes.

Kahlon was one of the possibilities, and told CTV News last week, "I've got some family, friends and supporters engagement to do" before making a decision.

On Wednesday, he said he'd back David Eby, if the attorney general decides to run.

Also a possibility is Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen, who repeated advice given to him by the late federal NDP leader Jack Layton, "never say never.”

Other members of the party may also come forward. An expert told CTV News that these leadership races are good opportunities to get ideas to the public, even if the person running doesn't actually win.

Any cabinet minister who runs has to resign their portfolio.